Kyra Ice
by Silver-Eyed-Kat
Summary: ReaperOC Kyra finds a friendship that brings her out of a cold shell. A brother's dark secret brings Hell to Earth, and it will take more than firepower to stop it. Love and friendship has a factor.
1. Chapter 1

**This is rated M for intense action, gore, tragedy, and some sexuality at the very end of the story. The entire thing has been re-edited, so many changes (some major) have been made. I hope you enjoy this story, and please let me know what you think!**

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Kyra Lucas, 24 years old, has been in the military since she was 22. The government paid for her four years of college, and in return she enlisted for the Marine basic training course. A dream of hers since childhood. It was everything she expected it to be, and then more. It was hard, as she knew it would be. Every day you ran, rain or shine, drought or blizzard. You followed fitness standards and worked out, learned guns inside out and how to use them, and how to act as a proper soldier. If you were sick, too bad. Unless it needed medical care, you continued training regularly. It was all she thought it would be like, except for one… small thing.

The verbal and sometimes physical abuse was great, and was given on a daily basis. Her sergeant, Grana, had no desire to make life any better than Hell for someone he strongly felt shouldn't even be in the course. He pushed Kyra over her limits, and then beyond. Her comrades, the other trainees, could do absolutely nothing about it. Only a selective few even had the guts to pull her to her feet when she fell from pure exhaustion on the obstacle course. If they did it, it was done when their sergeant wasn't looking, for they knew they would face an unjustified punishment if they were seen. She could never have felt so grateful for something so simple. At the risk of their own better experience with this course, they helped her. It was that experience that taught her something important. No matter what the situation, soldiers were family, and they would care about the brother and sister standing next to them whether they knew them or not. You felt compelled to the lives of your comrades. It was like a law passed down through human existence, remaining without being written.

Though the days passed by agonizingly- each promising further verbal and physical abuse after the other- she never once gave in. If she did, then it was over. Her desire of being the only thing she had dreamed of would be lost. It would be forced out of her by the malevolent abuse and cruelty of a man who would love nothing more than to see her break. It was sad for someone like her to have to endure more of the harsher events in life. One day… it nearly ended her life, and that is where this story begins.

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I gripped the top of the splintered wooden wall, ignoring the protests of my arm muscles as I lifted myself up. The palms of my hands stung after being pressed against the abrasive surface of the wall. They had already endured countless splinters, so the puncture of fresh ones weren't as much of a bother. It was nothing compared to the sharp sting in my lungs from breathing in the cold air, which was greedily being sucked in to keep the blood flowing so I could continue. There was no stopping.

I swung my leg over the wall and dropped down to the muddy ground. My knees were already flimsy from running, so they collapsed briefly, sending me to rest on my hands. The cold mud felt good against my palms, which were red with irritation and a little bloody. I grabbed a fist full of the gooey substance before getting back to my feet and running for the next part of the course.

The rain was hard today, but that wouldn't stop the training. It never did, so you never hoped. Though I never hated the rain, I cursed it on the days when we ran the course. It would make the next obstacle quite scary to overcome.

The tunnel is a two foot wide pipe, close to fifteen feet long. Various objects could be found in it, from empty shells and pieces of metal to eating utensils and hair products. Anything could be washed into them after a flooding rain. That was probably the most frightening bit. Not only were you swimming as fast as you could to get out as soon as possible, but you were trying to avoid sharp objects in murky water that was impossible to see through. You'd think that they would clean it out every once in a while so no one could suffer a fatal injury, or even drown. But it's not like they send someone to check and see if things are safe. They expect it to be, for it's the lieutenant's job to ensure the safety of his troop. Unfortunately, my lieutenant was less than irresponsible.

I approached the tunnel, ignoring the urge to hesitate before plunging into the ice cold water. I would never dream of it, for Grana was standing right there to make sure I went in head first. He bent down and shouted threats in my ear as I lowered myself into the water.

"Don't you dare fucking stop, soldier! The devil won't be givin' you time to breathe when he's clawing at your heels! If he doesn't get you, I will!" He screamed.

His voice disappeared when my head was plunged into the murky water. It was so goddamn cold. It was bad enough that I was having trouble breathing on the surface. Now the shock of how freezing the water actually was had caused me to let out a mouthful of air. I felt the bubbles press against my face as they floated upwards. Precious air wasted. _God, just swim! Swim like the devil really is at your heels!_

I frantically clawed and kicked at the water, pushing through complete darkness in a desperation that nearly struck me with panic. I held it back though. It was something I learned to do in tight circumstances to calm myself down. If I let panic take hold then I wouldn't be able to concentrate on getting out of the situation. That's never good.

Swimming through the pipe had never felt longer. Every foot I conquered seemed to take a full minute instead of a few seconds, making the journey agonizingly painful. My mind was fully focused on getting out, and taking in the heavenly breath of fresh air that I so craved. How heart stopping it was when I found that I could move no more. No matter how much I kicked and tried to push through the water, I did not move. Something was terribly wrong! A tug at the belt of my pants revealed all, and panic struck me like never before when my lungs began to hurt from the lack of air. I was going to drown. I was caught on something and was going to drown!

Stricken dumb with fear, I reached for my belt and searched for whatever was hooked on me. It felt like string, knotted together in places. A net, caught on the buckle. I couldn't untangle it in time, nor cut it. Was there even a chance that I could break free?

Seconds passed lazily as my mind went hazy due to the lack of oxygen. My fingers were becoming less and less lifeless as they tried to free me from the net. The lungs in my chest ached too much to bear. To make things worse, a lump resided in my throat at the realization that I was going to die. I stopped tugging at the belt and just stopped moving altogether. The face of my brother crept into my mind. What will he think when he hears his sister died during Marine training? _How will he possibly be able to handle such a loss after our father died recently, and our mother years before? I can't just die like this._ There was little I could do, and eventually I blacked out completely, floating like a dead fish in the water.

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The soldier that had been directly behind me found me unconscious in the tunnel. He quickly snapped the net and dragged me from the water, resting my back on the ground. Everyone stopped and rushed over, muttering to each other worriedly while watching the soldier try to revive me. He had to repeat CPR almost five times before I finally coughed up water and rolled onto my side. I was gagging uncontrollably, desperately taking breaths of air and not caring that half my face was buried in the mud. Grana pushed through the crowd, shouting at the men to get back to their rounds before he saw me sprawled on the mud. The soldier explained what happened.

"Take her to the med facility." The lieutenant ordered with an annoyed growl, then he walked off.

I was put under intensive care for physical injuries, exhaustion, and internal damage to my lungs. My caretaker was very concerned about my condition. Not only was I suffering from the drowning experience, but from other things as well. There were cuts and bruises on my hands and knees that were having trouble healing, huge blisters the sizes of dollar coins on my feet, and a broken finger. He had half a mind to walk over to that lieutenant's barracks and ask what the Hell he was doing to me, but he held back. Injuries like these happen. Any other soldier would have them, right?

The first day I just slept and slept, straight through the night, not waking up till late afternoon. When I woke it was impossible to move without wincing back in pain. My whole body ached, my hands and knees were wrapped in bandages, and there were tubes going in and out of me. Honestly, you'd think I just got outta Iraq, and that war ended years ago. A nurse saw me squirming in my cot and rushed over, putting a hand on my shoulder to push me back down.

"Don't move." She ordered, and I obeyed. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible." I answered in a scratchy tone. My voice was squeaky and kept cracking every time I answered her incessant questions about my health. She prodded me on my stomach and along my ribs. It was particularly painful in my upper ribs, and she said I had some internal bruising there.

"You won't be leaving this building for a while." She notified me before getting ready for her next patient.

"How long?" I asked before she left.

"Two weeks at the most, but if you make a speedy recovery then you'll be out within one. Someone will be along shortly with some food, and you will eat all of it."

Her tone was very imposing, and I supposed it had to be in order to get the soldiers to do what was needed to ensure a speedy recovery. People up top want their soldiers back in action as soon as possible, and I had no doubt Grana would want me back out there very soon. Before she left I had another question I was itching to have answered.

"Who rescued me? I remember blacking out again after I was revived."

"I never caught his name. He had short black hair and well built body from what I could tell. He was soaked to the skin and covered in muck at the time, so I can't really describe him much. I'm sure he'll drop in sometime to see how you're doing."

I averted my eyes to the ceiling when she left, trying to match her description to some of the other men. I've never really paid attention to any of their features. Lots of them had black hair and fit bodies from what I saw. Most of the time I was too focused on getting through the hard trainings of the day to bother looking. Other times, after the training, I was too exhausted and just wanted to take a shower and go to bed.

No one came during the next few days. I was anxious to meet the man that saved my life so I could thank him. Maybe he didn't come because he didn't feel he needed to. He saved my life, but that's part of the job, to look after each other. It's no reason for him to check up on me every day. Though, it would be nice. Or maybe Grana won't let him off to see me? He doesn't like giving the men much free time. "It lets their minds wander off into places they ought not be in." He would say in a somewhat British accent. His father was a Marine, so they moved around a lot and were stationed in England for about ten years. That's probably where he picked up the accent.

Most of the time I slept. I had never felt so tired all the time in my life. Then it occurred to me that it could be the drugs making me drowsy, and I didn't like being drugged. It took the pain away from my injuries, but it left me numb and made it difficult to move. Eating and drinking was sometimes an issue because I didn't have full use of my hands, but I refused to be hand-fed. I may not have much pride, but I have enough to refuse that sort of treatment.

Not only did the drugs render me immobile, but they screwed up my body clock too. If I was forced to sleep the day away, I'd wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry and not being able to eat because all the nurses were asleep. I kept waking up at various times, losing track of the day and not liking the feeling. However, the good news was that I was healing nicely. The cuts on my hands and knees were finally scabbing over and closing up with the proper treatment. My ribs were patching up fine, and my voice was back to normal if not a little sleepy. The broken finger, however, would take a few weeks to heal, but they weren't going to let me stay in bed that long. The doctor was just going to notify my lieutenant about the disability and recommend that I refrain from taking part in the demanding rounds that required the use of my hand.

On the day of my release, someone brought a change of clothes from my barracks and I got dressed. I was excited to be out and felt rejuvenated, ready for Grana's rigid training rounds. My body finally had the time to heal the sore muscles and any aches and pains that bothered me almost daily before. Sprained fingers were as good as new, blisters were nursed away, my ribs were fine, and I had slept so much I felt I could stay awake for days. I went back to the barracks early that morning and stayed there for the rest of the day. It was enough time for me to write a letter to my brother and send it. I told him about what happened, explaining that I was alright and there was no need to worry. I also began working out to get my muscles used to some activity before having to return to training the next day.

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I never found the man who saved my life. Anyone I asked never seemed to know, which was kind of weird. Surely someone must have known who he was, or recognized him. They were surrounding me when I was revived.

When I lined up for drills the next morning, I was surprised to find that Grana wasn't there. Someone else had taken his place. That night I discovered that he had been discharged. Someone filed a complaint about the way he trained the soldiers and his lack of responsibility for their safety. I guess that my near-death experience had pissed off the right person, because I was glad the son of a bitch was gone. It turned out he had a history of such incidents.

I passed my basic training and survived Grana's attempts to force me out. He may have ran me ragged and shouted every possible insult and threat in my ear, but I endured. In the end I guess I have to thank him, for I've never been stronger and more mature in my life. During weeks of shooting rounds I found that I was very good with a sniper rifle. I had my grandfather's steady hands, my father used to tell me. It was nice to know I was good at something.

A day after graduating, they put me on a plane to a recruiting camp in Texas. There I would apply and wait to be admitted into a squad, where I would start my missions. At first I was nervous, but the nerves soon turned into excitement. I was put into a cabin with four other women, who I avoided interacting with altogether. They didn't seem like a friendly bunch, nor very social. I wondered why.

My life as a recruit was never-ending. Days became weeks without an offer, and weeks became months, and months became a year. Now I knew why the other women were always so serious and had a pissy attitude. They too couldn't get accepted into a squad. Maybe there was something about being a woman that made us unworthy to fight alongside men, even after we had proved ourselves. Sergeants would rather snag the guy standing next to me with mild skills involving guns, rather than me, who could probably shoot a fly out of the sky. It didn't make sense, and I was starting to become the quiet, reserved, serious person the other women turned out to be. I thought that after basic training they would just assign me to a squad. I didn't think the squad had to pick _me_. Maybe their policies changed after the War on Terrorism ended.

I made a name for myself as an extremely good marksman. Very few soldiers could match my skills with a sniper. It was what separated me from the other women. I actually had something every squad would need: a good sniper. People with those kinds of skills could be crucial to accomplishing a mission in some cases. It gave me hope that one day someone might ignore the fact that I was a woman, and actually accept me for what I could do.

Over a period of time I was presented with my 'nickname'. Though I tried hard to distance myself from the other men to avoid any issues, the few who confronted me often had only cold words spat in their face, or I ignored them altogether. I was often in a bad mood and not in need of social interactions, for they only made it worse. For a while I had a forced depression to keep my mind focused. I excused my behavior by remembering how my mother died, how my father was killed in a plane crash and his body never found, and that no matter what I did no one would put me in their squad. My cold shoulder to everything got me the name Ice. It suited me, I suppose. In the end I could care less.

I didn't have much of a family, except for my brother Will, to talk to. I kept in touch with him constantly by internet, occasionally by phone, and by letter. He joined the Marines a year after me, and he was already in a squad with good friends he couldn't stop talking about. I was glad he could get along with them. All the way from elementary through high school guys just didn't seem to get along with him. I never knew what it was that made them hate him so much, even though he could be annoying at times, but he grew out of it years before. Oh well, maybe they were just jealous or something. He probably gets along with the men in his squad because they're all a team, and when you're out on the front you really don't need enemies among your group, so they make the friends they can. The one he mentions the most is a guy named Rob, and they stick together twenty-four seven. It's good for him, and I have to admit I'm damn proud of how great he's doing. This job was just meant for him from the start, and he made it clear.

I wasn't bothered much about not having many friends around here. My childhood friends had gone their separate ways, but I still had contacts with them. It's just been a while since I've said anything to them. My closest friend, Donna, a Filipino girl, she joined the Marines too. I thought we would be sent to the same camp, considering how few women there were, but Donna was stationed in the UK, way across the Atlantic Ocean. After that it seemed all communication between us was halted, and I've wondered why ever since.

After all that time I was still trying to catch the wandering eyes of sergeants looking for a tough new rookie to be a part of their team. For almost a year it was like that. Getting up early in the morning for a few laps around the track, lifting weights in the gym, practicing shots at the shooting range, eating my meals in isolation at the cafeteria, finishing the daily drills that all recruits had to attend to in order to keep them in shape, and then returning to my porter cabin to have some free time to spare. A day in the sucky life of Kyra Lucas. Things had to change sometime.

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I set my tray down on the usual table and sat. The cafeteria was a little more crowded today because all the recruits heard of the lieutenant looking for an extra unit. Lunch was a popular time to look, so that's where everybody showed up.

Guys looking for a new unit were frequent, so it wasn't the exciting high point of the week. Times like this I mostly just sat and ate my lunch, waiting. If no one approached then I went back to my cabin. After about a year of observing what the lieutenants were looking for, I discovered some helpful facts. If you approached them and started talking, they labeled you 'annoying' and ignored you. They usually ask questions, trying to find out if there's a recruit with certain talents that they need. If they find what they are looking for, that person is usually approached. So… there was nothing for me to do but wait.

For some reason I wasn't as hungry as usual. It was strange, because I trained hard every morning and am starving by lunch. Maybe I was coming down with something. Or maybe it's because I lost my appetite about ten minutes ago when somebody had a bad case of diarrhea in the bathrooms.

After mindlessly picking at the peas, I put the fork down and sighed with boredom. Man, was I tired. Sleep wasn't easy last night because one of the latest new lady recruits happened to snore. Very loudly. She reminded me of my best friend's mom when I was 14. Now _that_ was snoring at its worst. Fortunately I could just go upstairs and sleep in her room. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option last night.

I pushed the tray away and laid my head down on the table. It was a full two hours of drills next, and I really didn't feel up for it today. I really needed a vacation. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I need some R&R to catch up with people from my former life. See my brother, talk with old friends, and stay at home in Oklahoma for a while. After closing my eyes for a few minutes I was on the edge of falling asleep. Suddenly, the table shook as someone sat down. _What the-? No one ever sits with me. _

Opening my eyes and lifting my head up, I looked toward the unexpected guest sitting across from me. He was big, as in fit, and over 6 foot considering how much higher he sat over my head; but of course, I was used to looking up at most guys because I was about 5'5. He had a buzzed head, and his clothing consisted of a U.S. Marines sweatshirt and dark jeans. My eyes searched for some kind of hint of what rank he was, but he didn't have any bars, stripes, or even a tag. This made me think he was a recruit. _Naw, he couldn't be a recruit. He looks too much of a…man to be a recruit. All the guys around here are just boys._

"Hi." I dragged in a cautious tone.

He gave a brief half-smile, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

"I heard you were the one to come to if I wanted a recruit." He said, and I noticed his voice had a hardened tone, which usually only belongs to a man who has seen things. Horrible things. _He has to be a lieutenant. _

"I… guess. I've been here a while." I said, not sure why he was asking me. I was never asked about that subject before. Where would he hear crap like that from?

He nodded, looking me over, which made me even more uncomfortable. I had to shift in my seat and sit up more so he wouldn't be able to see down my wife beater, if that was what he happened to be looking at.

"I'm looking for someone who does fairly well with a gun. Some of the other men say you're one of the best." He continued.

Suddenly I was wide awake, and my head perked up a bit. _Is he considering recruiting me? Hold on Kyra, don't get exited. Just keep your cool._

"Only if they say so." I said to that, sounding a little more interested in the topic of the discussion.

"How well can you shoot?" He asked, sensing my interest.

"The wings off a fly, sir."

He nodded, looking me over again, and this time I realized that it wasn't in a sexual way. He was just trying to determine how capable I looked, because his eyes were wandering over my toned arms and thin waste, not my chest. It made me relax a little.

"Anything else?" He asked.

"I'm handy with sharp objects in most situations."

For a while he was silent. Now I was feeling nervous. This was the first time I was approached by a lieutenant looking for a recruit, so I was praying frantically that he was highly considering me.

"What's your name?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Kyra, but everyone calls me Ice." I answered.

"Ice, would you mind demonstrating your shooting?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

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I had my sniper rifle in hand. The lieutenant was standing behind me, examining my technique with the sharp eyes of a professional. I cocked the gun, rested it against my shoulder and aimed at the target about 50 yards off.

The wind on the grass and the other people shooting, all their sounds disappeared. Concentration was all that was on my mind, and that target. I waited for the wind to calm or play to my advantage, and the clouds to cover the sun so it didn't distract my vision. It took almost three minutes of patience before my chance came.

The trigger clicked, and the bullet left the barrel. A few seconds later I let out another shot, hitting in the exact same place, and continued to do so for a few seconds. I didn't flinch, nor lower my rifle until the computer on the wall behind me spoke my score.

"_Score: White ring, 0. Black ring, 0. Red ring, 0. Yellow ring, 0. Blue ring, 100."_

The lieutenant clapped behind me. I then smiled to myself before turning to him.

"Very good. Very good." He complimented, walking toward me. "Well, Ice, if you are interested I would like to have you assigned to my squad."

I couldn't help but gleam gaily at the offer.

"It would be an honor to be a part of your team, sir." I said to that, trying to hold some dignity by not acting as ecstatic as I felt. If I didn't, I'd probably be running around in circles screaming with excitement and acting like a complete lunatic. I was actually going to be in a squad… doing missions… working with a team… training with a team… _my _team.

"I reckon you're curious about the kind of job you're getting yourself into." He stated more than asked, judging by the look on my face.

"It would be nice to know, sir." I said.

"My team is the Rapid Response Tactical Squad, or RRTS for short. I'm guessing in your years of service that you've heard of this level of Marines.

I nearly dropped my rifle I was so shocked. There was no way he just asked me to join this squad. It's like… a dream. I don't even think this day is real.

"Yes sir, I've heard about that particular area." I answered, still trying to maintain a respectable pose.

He cocked a grin.

"You understand I only take the best. Anyone who shoots like that has definitely got some talent. If you can handle blades as well as you can a sniper rifle, then I have no concern in your ability to fight. So… how about it?"

For a while I just stood there with an open mouth. _Hell yeah! How could anyone pass up the chance to join the RRTS!_

I realized how stupid I must look and straightened myself up. After putting on a serious face and looking as respectful as I could, I answered his question.

"Sir, it would be an honor to be a part of your squad. I promise I will be my best and even more during any assignment."

With a smile he held out his hand and I shook it. "I know you will. I'll sort the paperwork. Expect to be transported to your new barracks at 0600 hours tomorrow."

"Yes Sir, I'll be ready."

"From this point on you can address me as Sarge. Clear?"

"I'll be ready at 0600 hours tomorrow… Sarge." I said excitedly.

He had to smile, and soon was off, leaving me to my duties for the day. Instantly I was off to the cabin to pack what little stuff I had. It was good that all the ladies would be out on the drill, that way they wouldn't see me packing up and I would probably be calmed down by the time they came back. I'll just act like I'm going home, so they don't get jealous or upset that I was being sent off to a squad. Damn, I felt like bouncing around like a fucking cheerleader, (unlikely) but that was how excited I was. I couldn't wait to tell Will. This was the greatest day of my life.

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I quickly shut off my alarm at 5 o'clock in the morning to avoid waking up anyone else. After sitting up and glancing around, I carefully slipped out of bed and got dressed. I wanted to leave without the other women noticing to avoid any problems. Dragging a duffel bag out from under the bunk, I slipped it over my shoulder and surreptitiously walked toward the door. Someone shifted and made me jump in surprise. I watched her for a while until satisfied that she was asleep, then continued.

After the longest minute, I reached the door and gripped the handle, about ready to open it before a groggy voice spoke behind me.

"Hey."

My head shot round and I saw one of the women sitting up in her bed, staring at me. I felt like a criminal caught escaping the prison and froze, waiting for something else to happen. For the longest time our eyes just gazed into each other, until she broke the silence.

"Good luck."

I was surprised by her words, but visibly relaxed and nodded.

"Thanks." I whispered. We stared at each other for another few seconds before I finally turned the knob and walked out the door, gently shutting it behind me. I began walking toward the entrance of the base, and there a jeep waited. Tossing my stuff into the back, I jumped into the front seat and the driver pressed the gas. I didn't look back when the jeep left the front gates and took me to the helipads.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been the first time in a while since I'd been in a helicopter. Once my bag was stuffed in the secure compartment under the seat, I strapped in. The com- which allowed me to communicate with the pilot- was fitted in my ear. Now that I was ready, I told the pilot he could start off. The vehicle vibrated as the engine was put to work, and I felt gravity push down on me as it began lifting quickly from the ground. The sensation it gave reminded me of a rollercoaster ascending to the top of the hill. Now I just couldn't wait for the exciting trip down when my destination was reached, and the helicopter would drop. I remembered just how much I loved flying again.

The trip would be long, up to 13 hours, so I fitted the head phones of my mp3 player in my ears. I then leaned my head back, closing my eyes. The faint sound of rhythmic blades of the helicopter helped me to fall asleep.

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I was woken by the turbulence of the landing. The helicopter shook as it began to steeply descend, and I felt that tickly sensation in my stomach as speed and gravity worked together to make the organs in my body float upwards. At first it caused a lump to rise in my throat, but then I got used to the feeling and began enjoying it. My hands were gripping the edges of the seat tightly, and my head was pushed back against the headrest at the force of descent.

"Faster!" I laughed into the com, and I got a chuckle from the pilot back.

After about half a minute the helicopter was pulled up, causing it to slow and descend more gently. A few seconds later it shook and stopped, meaning it had landed. When the blades of the helicopter began to slow, and the engine powered down, I unbuckled the straps and stood up. My hair was a mess, so I pulled the pony tail out and redid my long, dark brown strands.

"Thanks for the ride." I said to the pilot.

"_No problem._" He replied. "_Always great to have somebody who appreciates a little fun._"

I chuckled at that and took the com out of my ear, setting it in the small box on the wall. Pulling the duffel bag out from under the seat, and swinging it over my shoulder, I walked towards the door. It slid open and I jumped out onto a stone platform. It was night, and in front of me was a barracks, which was my new home I supposed. Some windows were lit as the occupants were obviously still awake inside.

I felt nervous, and my heart began to gently pound in my chest. Questions started to swim around in my head about this. Would they accept me? Will I be welcome? Just how am I expected to act? How different will this be? I just mentally smacked myself and said that the only way to find out was to go inside. So, slowly, I walked towards the building.

I paused at the door, took a deep breath, and then reached for the handle. It wouldn't turn. _Ugh, the key! Stupid! Nice one Kyra. You're so nervous you forgot about the key! Of course it's locked! _

After smiling to myself and letting out a soft chuckle at how ridiculous I was being, I slipped the key into the lock. The door opened with ease after that, and I stepped in. It closed with a soft click behind me, and I found I was in a hallway. Four doors were on both sides and a staircase at the end. _What, no welcoming part? I feel so loved already._

I wasn't sure where to go, but then heard voices from below. _Staircase._

The metal staircase led down to a room, which I guessed to be the sleeping quarters or perhaps the lounge. So, very quietly, not wanting to draw attention to myself, I made my way down.

The voices grew louder. It sounded like someone was playing a video game and shouting threats at the computer. Others were talking, and I thought I heard someone softly speaking passages from the Bible, which I recognized. Then there was the familiar sound of a rifle click, so I guessed somebody was inspecting their gun. Rock music blared from a radio. _They obviously are keeping themselves entertained. _

A loud crash made me pause, and I heard somebody yell loudly, "_Watch where you swing that thing!_" I started down again until the room finally came into view. I stopped just a few steps from the bottom.

What I saw were 7 men, all doing their own thing in what I guessed right to be the sleeping quarters. Directly in front of me, a few feet away from the staircase was someone cleaning his rifle on a bed. To the right, a black man with a baseball bat was hitting tennis balls thrown by an Asian. A younger one, about 22 or 23 years old, was mopping the floor. Lying on his cot was another black man playing a hand-held video game. Sitting in a chair near the radio was someone reading the Bible. The last person was pacing back and forth, just kind of talking to himself, because no one appeared to be listening to him.

For a while I stood there in complete silence, hoping that somebody would notice me and I wouldn't have to walk up and introduce myself out of no where like an idiot. However, they all seemed quite into their personal little playtime hours after a full day of rounds. I realized that I would have to draw attention to myself if I didn't want to just walk in and make them all jump, because some strange woman just walked through their living quarters.

After gathering a bit of courage, I stepped down another step, purposely making a bit of noise. The only person who noticed, however, was the man sitting a few feet in front of me cleaning his rifle. His head turned towards me, attention drawing from his previous task to finding the source of the noise, and we made eye-contact.

I got a good look at his face. He had short, black hair, and a rugged look about him, with the stubble of an unshaven face completing that look. The ruggedness attracted me, and judging by the look of his arms from the rolled up sleeves of his shirt, he was quite fit too. His eyes caught me the most though. They were a hazel green color, the green standing out sharply and making it hard to look away. They were so unique that I found it would be easy to just stare at them and probably get lost for hours. The thought of me being a sucker for a pair of nice eyes made me laugh on the inside. I saw his gaze wander over my face a little, for he was looking me over as well, curious as to why a woman just appeared out of no where in a barracks full of men. He made me feel a little more comfortable, simply because he noticed me, but my nerves still showed. The other men in the room still hadn't acknowledged my presence yet.

I heard somebody on the staircase behind me and turned. It was Sarge, and he gave a brief smirk in my direction. Now I felt a lot better knowing that the man who recruited me was there. He had come to introduce me himself, which _really _helped my nerves. He turned his attention to the men in the room.

"Men!" He boomed.

They all came to attention and their eyes noticed me immediately, being the small figure standing next to the much larger one of their commanding officer. Sarge put his hand on my shoulder, causing my brow to furrow uncomfortably, and I glanced at his hand.

"This is Kyra, our new comrade. Also called Ice. Now I know you will all make her feel at home here. Make her feel like part of the family, because she will be with us for a long time I hope. Play nice gentlemen." And with that, to my own discomfort, he left. I was disappointed that his introduction was so short, because the more he told them, the fewer questions I would have to answer later on.

There was a long uncomfortable silence, and it wasn't helping my nerves. Then, the attractive man who was sitting in front of me stood up and held his hand out.

"I'm John, you can call me Reaper. Welcome to the squad Kyra." He said with a pleasant smile. I shook his hand, so thankful that he broke the silence.

Then the black man with the bat walked up to me. "I'm Danton, Destroyer." I shook his hand too. He had a shaved head, and the sagging features of one who didn't smile much. I figured he must be the serious type. It was also easy to tell that he was the larger and fitter man of the squad. In fact, they all were fit. Even the young rookie I had seen mopping the floor had a visibly generous amount of muscle on him, though he was still a stick compared to the others.

After two men had already come up with the courage to introduce themselves, the others stepped up as well. The Asian man walked up to me, giving the same introduction as Reaper and Destroyer. His name was Mac, which was short for his real name, which was so long and foreign that I was gaping when he spoke it, trying to process the gibberish that just skittered through my ears. He had short cut black hair, and a decently fair face. He was also short, almost my height.

The youngest came up next. His name was Brandon, but they all called him Kid because he was the youngest of the group. He had short cut brown hair, which would be wavy if it was grown out, I could tell, because it was quite a curly mess. He had chocolate brown eyes, and looked quite innocent for a Marine. Either he had an easy background, hasn't seen action yet, or both.

Goat- the man who had been reading the Bible, and also looked to be the elder- introduced himself. His real name was Richard, but for some reason they called him Goat. Probably because he was older and more sage than the rest. That wouldn't surprise me, because he certainly had the hardened, stern features of someone who had been through a lot. He had a true military style haircut, trimmed at the sides and grown out a little bit on the top, along with a pair of piercing blue eyes. I felt, somehow, that I could relate to him. There was that look in his eye that was familiar to someone like me. He's been through it. He's lost things, and they've wounded him so deep that they never show, and never go away. I'm so familiar with that feeling that it could be family.

The next contestant was the second black man. I don't know what it was about him when I saw him, but he reminded me of those high school guys who still had that sort of kid-ish attitude. His real name was Lee 'Shawn, but they called him Duke. When he introduced himself, he did the handshake that usually only friends do when they meet. Where you slap hands and then pull each other in to pat them on the back. He kind of dragged me through it though, because I was taken by surprise that he introduced himself in such a way. It amused me that he was so open and friendly, and it was nice to have somebody here that would be comfortable to hang with.

The last was the guy who had been pacing and talking to himself. He had semi-long blonde hair, which he had slicked back, and he had a… dirty look I suppose. He made no attempt to hide the looks of attraction he shot my way. The way he smiled and strutted his way up, and the way he introduced himself just screamed perverted. His name was Dick, and they called him by his last name, Portman. He didn't make me feel comfortable at all, but I had dealt with guys like him before. As long as he didn't touch me, there wouldn't be any cat fights.

Now that I had been introduced to everyone, I could finally pick a spot and start unpacking. Unfortunately, however, the only free cot was the one next to the perverted Portman, and this I didn't like at all. I dropped my bag on the cot and looked passively at him when he chuckled. He winked and pulled a big grin. I just rolled my eyes and opened the bag.

"You know, babe, if you get scared at night, ol' Dick will be happy to make them monsters go away."

I paused and looked up at him, raising an eyebrow at such a cheap way to try and gain my sexual interest. He was just another one of those idiots. I hate people like him. Most of the time I just ignore the comments and let them embarrass themselves with cheap remarks. If they want to look like a dumbass, by all means, let them do so. Just makes me look better to the witnesses around.

"Shy? Come on baby, just testin' the waters." He said, trying to get my attention again.

"My water's deep and cold, Portman. I'd be careful of sharks." I said coldly.

A few people became silent when they heard me speak for the first time. I noticed over Portman's shoulder that Reaper had paused from cleaning his gun and was looking at me. My tone and use of words had caught his interest, and he wanted to know how this would turn out, for Portman rarely chose the wrong woman to mess with. I seemed like the wrong woman to disrespect too. Unfortunately, Portman didn't seem to get the idea. He laughed and took one step to reach my cot and leaned forward.

"Let's not get off on the wrong start here, babe. I was only tryin' to be friendly." His hand tried to touch my arm.

I pulled a knife from my bag so fast it took him a while to realize that a blade was even at his crotch. Duke couldn't help it and burst out laughing, which drew everyone's attention. He was pointing at Portman and laughing so hard I thought he would hit his head on the cabinet while falling off the cot. Some laughed also, while others just smiled and shook their heads at Portman's stupidity.

"The name's Ice, and if you try to get any friendlier then I'ma have to stab a bitch."

"Alright, just get that thing away from the family jewels." Portman said shakily.

I kept an apathetic face, staring him down with eyes that drove the most naïve of people up the wall while they tried to figure out why they were so cold. He backed up and I knew he wouldn't be bothering me for the rest of the night.

Duke had recovered and looked at me. "I'm liking her already." He said to no one.

Feeling in a much better mood after threatening somebody, I returned to the unpacking.

After ten minutes everything was put in place, my blades hidden throughout 'my space', so if there were any disturbances during the night I could have a weapon instantly. There was a small photo album I always took with me, and it had pictures from high school, family outings, and friends. I liked to take pictures of me and my friends together. There was one of my three friends and me which I treasured. We were at the park and sitting under the little space of a slide. Desiree, a black girl, was leaning against a post and holding up the 'eastcoast' sign. Jackie, Filipino, was sitting in my lap, crushing me with her big ass. Donna had her back against mine, and we had our heads together, making silly faces and holding up 'peace' signs. The one I treasured the most though- and kept protected, never taking out of its plastic shield- was the one of my family when it was whole. My mom, dad, brother and me. Then, of course, there were random pictures of me with my brother, and occasionally my friends.

The album was placed in a small locker next to my cot, along with my endless supply of music and other personal items. There was a miniature dresser on the other side which would hold my clothes.

I sat on the cot and pulled my own hand held video game out of the locker. It was an old PSP I had since I was a kid, and it still played pretty well. I turned it on and the sound instantly caught Duke's attention.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked, putting his own game down and coming over to me.

"Medal of Honor Allied Assault." I answered indifferently.

"No way, you still have one of those PSP's?"

"Yep." I said shortly, trying to say as little as possible to avoid conversation. He didn't seem to notice my obvious attempt to evade the chit chat.

"Awesome, I haven't seen one of those in forever. Have you ever beaten the game?"

"Yep."

"You've got to tell me how to beat it. I'm stuck on this one level-"

"Man, you've been stuck on that level for weeks." Interrupted Destroyer.

"Hey, no need to embarrass me in front of my new sister. That level's harder than it looks." Duke defended.

I looked at him after hearing his choice of words. He called me his sister. Was he mentally retarded or just naïve, because he didn't seem to catch my obviously uninterested behavior? Oh well, why pass up the chance to make a friend? I guess I could use one.

He moved from his cot to mine and patted me on the back in a friendly gesture.

"See, all it took was a video game and we're awesome siblings already." Duke bragged, then sat down and leaned over the game. I selected the level he was stuck on. A few minutes later and he was already shouting threats at the computer and leaning with the first person shooter.

"Damn, Ice, you're one hell of a shot!" Duke said.

Suddenly there was a crowd around me. Kid, Destroyer, Mac, and Reaper were watching. It was the undercover mission, where you had to pose as a German officer and destroy some submarines.

"I could never get into the hangar cus they started shooting when I showed the papers." Duke explained.

I explained the process he had to go through as I played it out. It was actually pretty simple, which was probably what confused him.

"You're kidding me! That's it?" Duke exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah." I chuckled slightly.

"You'd think a Marine would know that Duke." Destroyer commented.

"Yeah… well… things are less simple when you're a Marine, so the simple things suddenly aren't so simple."

Everyone was quiet as they watched me do the rest of the mission. When it came to blowing up the submarine and I had to get smart in order to keep myself hidden, and Reaper decided to make a comment.

"Sneaky bitch knows what she's doing."

I gave him a dirty look at his foul name-calling, and looked like I was about to pop him up the side of the head.

"It was a compliment." He quickly defended.

"Don't go getting' your panties into a twist Sally. I'm only messing with you." I said sarcastically.

"Don't worry about them Ice, they're all party poopers." Duke said.

"Bitch." I heard Reaper say with a growl.

I glared at him again.

"Don't get your panties in a twist Sally. I'm just messin' with you" He mimicked.

It took a few seconds for me to take in that he was joking around, but I finally got it and laughed, patting his cheek.

"Good job Reaper. You'll come along just fine." I said.

His face went from a smile to embarrassment when I patted his cheek like a little boy. A few people snickered at him, and I almost felt bad for embarrassing him.

"Yeah Reaper, you'll come along just fine." Destroyer said, ruffling Reaper's hair.

"Fuck off!" Reaper said, pushing his hand away.

I returned my attention to the game, blew up the submarine, and easily beat the rest. The music on the radio then changed to the boring rambling rap I hated so much.

"Psshh, let me put in my own music. Take over." I gave Duke the game.

"Hey, that's good stuff right there!" He protested.

"Have you ever heard the expression: music is like candy, you throw away the rappers?" I threw back.

I rolled off the cot and took my CD case out of the locker and started to flip through it, walking over to the radio. _This is more like it._ I put in Jet's Get Born album.

I took the game back and played while silently speaking the lyrics. For about two hours it was like this, then it was 9:00 and I had a sudden urge to use the bathroom.

"Hey, where's the bathroom?" I asked.

Duke then smacked himself and said 'gah' really loudly. "We never did give her a tour of the barracks! Reaper, show her around will you."

"Me? Why me?" He asked in disbelief.

"Because, she _almost_ likes you as much as me." Duke answered.

"Then why don't you show her around?"

"The _game_, somebody's gotta play it or she'll die. She hasn't died yet. It would be a shame for her to get killed now."

Reaper just gave him a look like he was crazy, but, he knew that Duke was Duke, so he would still have to show the new girl around anyways.

"Fine." He said in defeat.

The game was out of my hands before I could feel it gone as Duke took it. I rolled my eyes and got up, following Reaper.

"The bathroom and showers are all over there." He said, pointing to the door at the corner of the room. "You also got the lounge through that door over there, and everything else is upstairs." He stood there, probably waiting for me to use the bathroom before starting the 'tour'.

"I can hold it." I said apathetically.

He smirked and started up the staircase, with me following close behind. The first door he stopped at was on the right side of the hall.

"That's Sarge's room. Don't ever go in there unless you got a death wish." Then he stopped at the other door and opened it, standing by the frame and letting me walk in first. _Wow, a gentleman._

"This is the kitchen. It's where we eat mostly, unless you want to bring food downstairs. From that point it's your responsibility to clean up your messes." He took me around the kitchen, showing me where everything was, and then took me back into the hall and to the next door.

The other two rooms were a living room (or briefing room), and an armory with the smaller and more basic weapons in them, along with uniforms. It was where they changed and geared up for missions. The barracks was a simple one, with the basic needs for everyday life. Knowing the place made me feel much more settled and comfortable. I could sleep soundly tonight.

When I re-entered the sleeping quarters there was a loud shout from Duke, still playing my game. He looked at me. "Sorry Ice, I kinda killed you."

"Whatever." I said back, then forced everybody off my cot.

"You got all day tomorrow to continue that game." I said to Duke, who wouldn't give it up.

"Just this last level." He said.

"Don't make me have to fight you for it."

He laughed. "Seeing how you handled Portman, I think I'll pass."

At the corner of my eye I saw Portman glare. He gave it up and I put it back in my locker. I pulled the sheets back and slipped in, turning the lamp off by the bed.

"Goodnight ya'll. Goodnight Ice." Duke said from his bed, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes again.

"G'night." I almost whispered in reply, not accustomed to saying the word. Everyone else did their own quiet thing until eventually all the lights were out and everyone was asleep.

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_Stricken dumb with fear, I reached for my belt and searched for whatever was hooked on me. It felt like string, knotted together in places. A net, caught on the buckle. I couldn't untangle it in time, nor cut it. Was there even a chance that I could break free? _

_Seconds passed lazily as my mind went hazy due to the lack of oxygen. My fingers were becoming less and less lifeless as they tried to free me from the net. The lungs in my chest ached too much to bear. To make things worse, a lump resided in my throat at the realization that I was going to die. I stopped tugging at the belt and just stopped moving altogether. There was little I could do, and eventually I blacked out completely, floating like a dead fish in the water. _

My eyes shot open and met the moonlit room. For a few seconds it felt like I was back in Texas in the recruiting camp. Then I sat up and looked around, finding that the sleeping forms around me were men.

I had broken out in a cold sweat from the dream. It was strange to have a dream about that after so long. That was nearly a year ago when it happened, and I've never had a nightmare about it before. I wondered what triggered it. The sheets under me were damp with my sweat, so I threw them off and hung my legs over the bed, holding my face in my hands for a few moments to reinstate my thoughts and train of memories. To be reminded of that day when I nearly died left me quivering and feeling slightly sick.

Eager to calm my nerves, I stood and walked toward the stairs, heading for the kitchen. The room was lit by the full moon shining outside the small windows near the ceiling to help me avoid bumping into someone's cot. My bare feet protested against the cold, abrasive metal surface of the stairs as I went up, trying hard to make as little noise as possible. Duke's snoring made doing that a little easier. I was even quieter when passing Sarge's room.

I entered the kitchen and turned the lights on, closing the door behind me. Taking a glass from the cabinet, I fixed myself some cold water and sat down at the dining table. After downing it, I set it down and wiped the lingering sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. I then rested my head on my hand and closed my eyes, breathing a deep sigh to let out all the feelings of discomfort from the dream. Mentally it did help.

The door to the kitchen suddenly opened and I jumped to attention, not knowing who to expect. Someone peaked in, and I recognized him as Reaper. I relaxed a little and sat down, staring back down at my glass. He entered and closed the door behind him, heading for the refrigerator in silence. A minute later he walked over to the table with a glass of milk in hand.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked quietly, and I shook my head.

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence. I tried to keep my mind off of it by finding an interest in the textured paint on the ceiling. It soon became boring, so I looked back down at my empty glass and thought to stand and refill it. But the uncomfortable atmosphere made me not want to move.

"What's your excuse?" He suddenly said, and I looked at him questioningly. "For not being able to sleep."

I turned my eyes back to the glass, contemplating on whether to answer. It really wasn't something I wanted to discuss with him. I don't know him at all, so matters like mine are none of his business. I didn't say anything, and he took the hint, letting another long silence follow.

"I get those kinds of nightmares too, sometimes." He stated quietly, and I fought the urge to look at him again. His eyes are very calculating, which threaten to dig their way through my wall. I'm not a master at hiding emotions, but I'm good enough for the common person. He's not common.

"A lot of times they're about my childhood. I wake in a cold sweat. Just like you."

I slowly came up with the courage to look him in the eye. He was trying to make a point, and the straight forward tone he used made it clear. I waited for him to continue.

"I was like you at one time. I haven't changed much, but… I have broken out of my shell enough to make friends. You're not the only one here with a tough background."

Now I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to draw me out of my cold little shell, get through to me by trying to understand my past. Maybe be my friend. It angered me. I hated it when people tried to get through to me, because there was no way they could understand. It's none of their concern anyway.

"My background is none of your business! Don't try to make it yours by saying you're like me!" I said callously, standing and walking toward the sink again to refill my glass. Really it was just an excuse to put distance between us.

He knew he had been walking on razor blades with the subject, and it was a mistake. He should have picked a less delicate topic. All he really wanted was to possibly get me to open up about something, and he should have known that I wouldn't. After all, he used to be like that too, and I still barely know him.

"I didn't mean to get into your business. I'm sorry. It was stupid." He tried to mend the small wound he put in the relationship.

For a while I leaned on the counter in silence, going over his apology in my head. No, it wasn't the incident at boot camp that I was reluctant to share. It was something far more painful from my teenage years.

"You wouldn't understand, that's all." I said simply, staring into the glass of water.

"Try me." He challenged, and I looked at him. He seemed dead serious, and I began to wonder what made him so confident.

"I don't like talking about it."

"Alright, I understand."

There was another moment of silence and I had the sudden urge to tell him about my nightmare. I wanted to tell someone about it, and somehow he seemed like the right person to do so with. He's the kind of person that would actually take me seriously, and possibly understand. I wouldn't say this to someone like Duke. He'd try to make it seem like nothing and joke about it to make me feel better about the experience, which never works.

"I almost drowned a year ago." I said abruptly, catching his attention again. He waited for me to continue. "It was during basic training. One day, when running the obstacle course, I went into the tunnel. It was flooded with water from the heavy rains, and filled with all sorts of things. My belt got caught on a net halfway through and I couldn't get loose. So I passed out until the soldier behind me pulled me out. I was in hospital for a week. That's what my dream was about."

I heard Reaper shift in his seat and clear his throat, drawing my eyes to him. For a second I saw an expression on his face I couldn't determine, but it disappeared instantly to an indifferent look. He didn't say anything for a while, but stared at me endlessly. I was starting to grow uncomfortable under his gaze, for he wasn't blinking. Like he was off in some other place, but his eyes never left mine.

"So… who was the CO in charge of your safety on this day?" He asked.

"Me and the others called him Grana. He was discharged after that incident."

That look dominated his features once again, and he looked away to drink from his glass. Though I was curious about the expression, I didn't want to trouble my mind thinking about it.

"What about you? What woke you up?" I asked, not wanting to be the only one spilling past experiences.

"Nothing." He answered quickly, suddenly unwilling to look in my direction. I wasn't going to have any of this 'hiding' bullshit after he tried to pry it out of me.

"Your hair's wet. You were sweating."

"So I was hot."

"You're not very good at this are you?"

He looked at me again, questioningly.

"Good at what?"

"Nevermind. If you don't want to share, fine." I finished, jumping up onto the counter and taking a mouthful of water.

"Sorry. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet." He tried to defend.

"Alright. Change of subject then."

There was another moment of silence, and I looked at him expectantly to select another topic. The conversation turned toward daily life here, in the barracks and with the squad. He explained little things like the routines they went through every day. I learned a few things about all the members of the squad, which definitely would help me in the future.

Destroyer had a pretty rough background. When he was 10 his little brother was killed in a gun fight between two gangs. At 14 he lost his parents when somebody robbed the house. A fire was started, he got out, but his parents didn't. For the rest of his childhood until he was 18, he lived on the streets. Joining the Marines was the best way to vent his anger without getting sent to jail. That was basically his life story. It explained why he looked serious all the time.

Duke had a steady life. He went to school in Maryland and joined the Marines after he graduated, simply because it was the life for him. It was what he wanted to do, kind of like me. That's also probably why he acts more like a kid, while the people who have had bad pasts tend to be more serious.

Portman was the same, only he had a history of doing girls his whole life. It was no wonder he's such a pervert. He joined because his dad wanted him to. He figured his son was too 'wild' and 'out-of-control' and decided Marines was the perfect way to set him straight. Portman found a joy for it, so he stayed in.

Mac, well, there wasn't much known about his past. The only thing he said was that he joined because it would make his father proud to serve the U.S. military. Nothing else was said.

Goat had a rough background too. His mother died at his birth, and he didn't have a father, so he was automatically sent to an orphanage. No one adopted him, and so he turned to God for a father instead. He's been an extremely devoted Christian ever since. Reaper said that he cut a cross into his arm every time he committed a sin. Though it was a little disturbing, I found it understanding. It sure made sense of why he was constantly muttering prayers or reading the Bible.

Kid, they never had a chance to find out his background. He's a fresh newbie like me, only he looks much younger, which is why they call him Kid. However, I could see it all over him that he had potential and some talent. If he didn't then why would he be here?

Then the subject turned to me. He started asking me questions about myself again.

"So, how long have you been in the Corpse?"

"A little over a year I guess. I have a brother who joined up a year after I did, but I haven't seen him since. We keep in touch."

"Is he your only sibling?"

"He's the only family I got left. My mom was killed when a drunk driver drove her off the road and into a river when I was 14. My dad was killed in a plane crash coming back from Europe a few months before I joined."

I was shocked that I had told him this. It just slipped out of my mouth without a thought, and I stopped dead and stared down at the floor, cursing myself. I'd never spoken of it before. He's gotten under my skin a little. That's why I have avoided conversation all together years before, but somehow he's wormed it out of me.

"I'm sorry." He said solemnly. "I know what that's like."

I glanced up, feeling I had just opened up a door to his past which he was willing to share, at the expense of a peak into my own background. I might just have found out why he was so confident in understanding me.

"Did you lose your parents?" I asked quietly.

He nodded and I shifted, realizing that we did have something in common. Maybe we're not so different after all, and that's why I opened up to him. I sensed that distanced part of his personality that was correspondent to mine. "They were killed when a tunnel collapsed."

"Oh, where was that?"

He hesitated. "Olduvai."

_Olduvai, that's on Mars. _

"I'm really sorry. That must have been hard… to lose them both at once." I said.

He shook his head. "It was a long time ago. Don't worry about it." His voice then changed as the subject shifted. "So, how long were you and your brother recruits?"

"Oh… well, things weren't as easy for me as they were for him. He got assigned almost right out of basic training. I had to fight to get noticed."

"Well, women are rare in this job. I know why they would pass you up."

"Yeah. At least someone recognized my talent. How long have you been serving?"

"Going on four years now." He answered after a moment of thought.

"In RRTS?"

"Yeah, mostly."

He looked up at the clock on the wall and stood, cleaning out his glass before setting it in the sink. Then he turned to me.

"You should get some sleep. We've got to head to the gym first thing in the morning for sparring, so you'll need your rest."

I looked at the clock and nodded in agreement. We must have been talking for an hour now, and it was one o'clock in the morning. After saying goodnight once again, we returned to our beds and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A few weeks passed since I first arrived. I trained with the squad for a few hours every day, and loved it. Being part of a team was where I did best, and Sarge noticed it. He was impressed by how well I worked with the team, how I caught onto stuff so quickly, and just how well I was getting along with every one. Well, every one except Portman. When we were paired in sparring, he used to get excited about it as a chance to get some physical contact, but now he dreads having to fight me. Lately he's made a habit of wearing a cup, just in case.

Reaper and I were very close. We had a lot more in common than I thought. Most of the time we spent together was just having a conversation. It was easy to share things with him, for he was trustworthy and understanding. I've never come across someone like that before, so it's brought me out. I talked more and discovered a sense of humor I never thought I had. However, it was usually directed at Reaper, and I found Duke to be a favorable accomplice when it came to pulling pranks. Duke had to be my second best friend in the squad. He's the one I like to have fun with, whilst Reaper is the one I want to share secrets and sit alone with. It's a balance, and I've become a happier person because of it.

I usually got paired up with Reaper during training. If we did something like sparring, there was definite physical contact, and I got the strange female feeling that he was taking advantage of it. When we first fought, I had underestimated him and ended up on my back with him on top, holding down every limb in my body. An embarrassing position on my part, but very effective when keeping an adversary under control. He's only gotten me like that twice, but the second was because I lost my temper, therefore lost focus. Though, when it came to working as a team we were the best. Communication, trust, leadership, it was all a hundred percent. Sarge was so impressed by how well we worked together that we were pretty much stuck that way every time we trained.

Though we took our job seriously, there were times afterwards where a little 'fun' leaked into our disciplined lives. Some of them we got in trouble for.

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Duke and Mac were having a petty argument behind the couch. I sighed with boredom and looked at Reaper who was reading a magazine on the couch across from me. Looking around, I found a fruit bowl on the table and grinned. It was impossible to pass up a chance to cause a little mischief. Picking up a grape, I tossed it and hit him square on the nose. For a second he glared at the magazine, and then looked up at me. I was sitting innocently, pretending nothing had happened.

He set down the magazine and picked up the grape now resting in his lap. Then he threw it at me, hitting my head. He laughed when I gave him a look like 'what was that for'. Then I threw it right back, landing right in his mouth as he laughed. He chewed it up and grinned at me, holding his hands up and moving his fingers in a 'come on' gesture.

"Come on, gimme your best shot." He urged.

I smiled and picked up an apple.

"Eat this." I said, throwing it at him. He dodged and it flew past his head, hitting Duke standing behind him. Duke turned around and glared.

"Don't look at me, he started it!" I quickly defended, nodding towards Reaper. Duke popped him on the back of the head, causing me to laugh.

"What the hell! You believe her?" Reaper asked, infuriated and rubbing his head.

"Yeah man. Look at that innocent face. She couldn't hurt a fly."

"Excuse me!" I said with a smile, standing up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Come on Ice, you know I didn't mean it. Whatever happened to loosening up?" He said, holding his hands in front of his face defensively when I threw another apple at him.

There were a lot of laughs these past few months. Duke and I planned our greatest masterpiece whilst Reaper was in the shower. It nearly killed me I laughed so hard.

Duke and I were waiting outside the bathroom door. We had spread cooking oil on the floor just outside it, and managed to get a hold of some paint buckets earlier, him having blue and me red. Reaper came out, all dressed and clean, and slipped on the oil covered floor. Once on his ass Duke stuck the paint bucket on his head, and I poured it all down his shirt and onto his pants. Duke was laughing so hard that he failed to defend himself when Reaper tackled him.

Watching Duke get his butt kicked by Reaper made me laugh so hard that I was crying and not making a sound. Have you ever laughed so hard that you weren't even laughing out loud anymore, you weren't breathing either and your face was turning as red as a tomato? That's the state I was in.

"You're next, sister." Reaper said playfully. I heard him say it but was in absolutely no state to defend myself, but I tried hard to stop and opened my eyes to see him get on top of me and try to hold my arms down.

"You like paint, huh? Why don't _you_ wear it?" He said, rubbing his paint covered head on my clothes and face. I tried to kick him off and hit somewhere extremely close to his manhood. It shocked him so much he practically jumped off me and held himself for a few seconds before realizing I didn't even hit him.

"You're lucky I missed." I managed to gasp out, breaking down in laughter again.

"Dude, look at her, she's crying!" Duke laughed. "She ain't breathing!"

"Breathe Ice, breathe." Reaper chuckled, crawling over and looking down at me. "Dying of laughter is just an expression you know."

I tried to calm down, and after about a minute I was able to take deep breaths, but was still laughing in between. Then after another minute I could talk. I wiped the tears from my face and looked at Reaper who sat smiling beside me, and I was about to burst out laughing again when I saw the paint all over him. You could hardly recognize his face it was covered in so much paint.

"That was the greatest prank _ever_." I giggled. "You might wanna take another shower there Reaper. You're turnin' purple."

I reached my hands out and put them on his face, mixing the red and blue paint over him till he managed to pull away. His head was turning purple as the two colors mixed.

"You've created a monster, Duke. I'm gonna get you back for this, missy." He chuckled.

"Oh, and how is that?" I asked, starting to wipe some of the paint off my face with a relatively clean sleeve.

"By being the first to take a shower. By the time I get out, that paint will be dry all over you."

I glared at him and was instantly on my feet and racing for the showers. He seemed to take his time on walking in.

"What do you think you're doing? I got here first!" I exclaimed.

"You forget, I'm a guy. I'm alright with sein' you naked." He said with a smile.

I snorted. "You wouldn't."

He shook his head and took his shirt off. _Wow, I was right, he is fit._ Damn, that man had a fucking six-pack, not to mention a tanned body that was too good to take eyes off of. I didn't truly believe he was serious until he unbuttoned his pants, then I rushed out of the room. However, that picture of him with his shirt off still stuck in my mind. _Look but don't touch Kyra, can't go no further than friendship. Friends can see each other naked but that doesn't mean it goes further. Like brother and sister._

When I finally got to shower it took _forever_ to get the paint off. He wasn't kidding when he said he'd get me back. _That'll teach me to be a little more careful when it comes to pullin' pranks on Reaper. _

Last week Duke and I were sitting on a cot and I was showing him a game. The point was to hit the back of the person's hand with your knuckles. The first person to give in to the pain, lost. I was a master at this. It wasn't a matter of strength, it was hitting in the right place.

I hit Duke right on the bone with my knuckles and he squeezed it, his face all scrunched up in pain as he clenched his teeth.

"Damn, how do you do that?" He said, rubbing his hand.

Then it was his turn, and he didn't even make me twitch. That only frustrated him. Reaper had been watching us and was chuckling at Duke. He thought Duke was just going easy on me, so stepped up and challenged me to the game.

I had gotten him about five times before he gave in. His knuckles were almost bleeding by then, which forced him to stop.

"Bunch of wusses." I laughed.

I challenged Duke and Reaper to a lot of things. Reaper and I had made a bet once. It was who could stand the pain of the Knuckle Game the longest, Duke or him. Reaper lost. So, I told him he had to sniff pixie sticks. A friend of mine had done it before, and the result was hilarious.

I laid out the pixie dust in a straight line and gave him a straw. It took a few minutes but he finally put the straw to the dust and sniffed the whole line in one go. He started sneezing like crazy and I told him one more time. The string was longer and he did it in one go again. Then he passed out. Duke and I were almost in panic, but luckily he woke up after about three minutes.

"Tissue. Need tissue." He dragged.

Now, not all the jokes were pulled on Reaper. He and I had our own little fun with Duke. In the middle of the night we went fumbling through Portman's drawers and found a box of 'strawberry flavored' condoms. Duke was asleep, drooling with his mouth wide open.

Reaper took a condom and put it in his mouth, and I almost gave us both away by laughing when Duke closed it. We weren't done though. I stuck a condom up each of his nostrils, then we poured the rest randomly on his face.

When morning came I was woken up by laughing and wrestling. Duke was on Reaper and trying to beat him up. Obviously Reaper had given himself away by laughing when Duke had asked who had stuck those condoms on his face. Other people were laughing, but not Goat. He smiled though, which was an accomplishment on anyone's part.

The latest joke pulled was by Duke and me. Of course, it was on Reaper. I dared Duke to do a certain something to him while he was eating in the kitchen.

Duke walked in, moving around casually. I was sitting across from Reaper, eating some left-overs from last night. Duke then came up behind Reaper and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in a massaging way. Reaper just looked at Duke's hand with a confused look on his face.

Duke then leaned in to Reaper's ear and said in a gay voice, "I like it when little boys wiggle in their chairs, John."

I almost choked on my food. Reaper had this seriously freaked out look on his face. Hearing me laugh, he looked at me, realizing it was a joke. He pushed Duke's hand off his shoulder and glared at me.

"We're just messin' with you Reaper." I managed to get out.

"That was disgusting Duke. Don't _ever_ do that again. You'll give me nightmares." Reaper said.

One of the most recent things that happened had me in tears again, and almost in the same state I was with the 'paint prank'. It was more of an accident, which was the funny part.

Duke was messing around with some keys hanging off a long chain. He was swinging it around in random places. When I called his name from across the room to ask something, he wasn't paying attention and the keys swung and hit him between the legs. He crumpled to the ground.

"You ok Duke?" I asked, hand over my mouth to try to keep from laughing.

It took about a minute before he answered. "I gotta use the bathroom."

I was crying from laughing so hard and had my head on Reaper's shoulder, holding onto him for support cus I could barely stand. That didn't work out so well because he fell down, taking me with him.

Duke didn't come out of the bathroom for a solid 40 minutes.

After I had settled in and felt like part of the family, I wanted to take pictures of me with my new friends. Will would love to see them, because he's curious about my squad. I managed to get a picture of the whole squad together, and kept it safe in my photo album.

Duke had his arms crossed over his chest and was standing back to back with Destroyer. Goat and Sarge sort of just stood there and tried to look as happy as they could for the camera. Kid had his arms up, flexing his muscles like a macho man. He could actually be quite funny at times, and I found him great to hang out with. Mac was in a pitcher pose of course, he loved baseball. Portman was glaring at the camera with his middle finger placed upwards against his forehead (classic Aragorn and his sword pose). Reaper was standing in the center with me sitting on his shoulders. I was wearing a Dickies sweatshirt, which was actually his, but I stole it and kept it for a few days just to get on his nerves. He was holding onto my legs and had his eyes rolled up, pretending he was looking at me. I had my thumbs folded into the fabric of the sweatshirt, pushing out the logo and stretching it for display, a tight jawed bad-ass smile on my face. I sent the picture to my brother saying: "These r ma hoes!" He got a laugh out of that.

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It was Saturday, and the weekend was something I always looked forward to. This was when either the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Coast Guard came on base for a basketball game. All the different Military branches would gather together to compete in some sort of sport, and I was always excited about it. I _loved_ basketball, and was pretty good at it for a girl, as some of the guys said. Team mates could depend on me for making shots, but none of them could match me at defense, for that was where I truly did the best. It would take quite a bit of effort to get past me. In fact, I was so good that they always had me on the starting lineup.

I often practiced with the squad so we were ready for the games, that way we weren't beaten embarrassingly by some scrawny nerds who couldn't match fit, hard ass Marines. Duke and Destroyer were our main point guards, while, surprisingly, Kid was our amazing three-point shooter. Reaper and Portman were mostly on defense like me, and then Sarge and Goat were our 'big guys' down low who always got the re-bounds. We had different offense and defense formations, which fairly often won us the game. When you have a damn good game play, then you can easily win.

Today we were going against Air Force. They were probably the second best people we ever went against, where as Navy was the most challenging. I was walking around in black gym shorts and a red jersey over my back, with the number nine printed in white over the fabric. Black and red were our team colors.

I laid down on my cot comfortably with hands behind my head. The door to the bathroom opened and out came Reaper, and I caught a glimpse of naked flesh. Turning my head, I grinned at a rather pleasant sight.

"Woo hoo! Look at you." I hooted as Reaper passed by, half naked with nothing but a towel around his waste, still wet. He looked at me with a slight smile.

"Forgot my clothes." He said, pulling a drawer open and taking his gyms clothes out.

"Uhuh." I hummed as he turned back to the bathroom.

Visually raping Reaper at the corner of my eye as he disappeared into the bathroom, I inwardly praised the lord for such a wonderful start to the day. Could never get tired of sein' a fit man with nothing over his upper body. Best friend or not, that man is _foine_! I never had an interest for Goat, Mac, or Destroyer however, cus they were married. Portman I simply ignored, cus he was just… creepily perverted. I think he's bi, cus he seems to be obsessed with 'she-boys'. Can't get much creepier than that. The rest of the guys I had no problem with having a peek at. Heh, even Kid, but a woman can't help it can she?

Reaper returned minutes later dressed in a wife beater and black gym shorts. He reached for his jersey and started slipping it over his head.

"Wonder if there are any fine lookin' guys this time. That number 25 was pretty decent." I spoke, directing my words to the only people who really cared enough to have a reply.

"When are you just gonna go out and get laid Ice?" Duke asked with a chuckle. "You talk about this every weekend."

I looked at him in shocking offense. "No 'man-whore' is gonna get his hands on this pure, virgin body. Why do you think Portman never gets anywhere?"

Portman glared at me. I just crossed my arms and teasingly glared back.

"You're really a virgin?" I heard Reaper ask in shock, his jersey half on.

"Yep. Like I'd give myself up to some dickhead who doesn't know anything about women except they got boobs and a hole to shove their dick in." I answered, taking this perfect chance to point out the stupid and simple minded males of the population. I pity men. They can be so easily manipulated by the female sex. Well, not all men are like that, but I find it rare to find a decent one that's _not_.

"Don't be so harsh Ice. Boys will be boys, and not all of us are like that." Destroyer spoke.

"I know you aren't Destroyer, nor Goat; but name one of the guys here that aren't." I challenged.

Destroyer seemed quite prepared to answer, for he only spoke a few seconds later.

"Reaper's a good guy. In fact, I'm not so sure he's even lost his virginity yet." He teased, grinning at Reaper who had turned to him with disbelief written all over his face.

"I lost my virginity a long time ago for your information." Reaper countered, though I noticed his face go red slightly with embarrassment. He'd kinda cute when he's angry to come to think of it. _No! Don't think that Kyra! Not appropriate!_

"Lost my virginity at 12." Portman stated proudly.

"Fifteen." Duke announced.

"Thirteen." Kid said after him, and there were a lot of shocked faces turned his way. He seemed insulted by it and shot a few glares. "Just cus you call me Kid doesn't mean I am." He said defensively.

"Sixteen." Reaper spoke, stressing it towards Destroyer who just smirked.

"Eighteen." Goat joined surprisingly.

"Fifteen." Destroyer said.

"Nineteen." Spoke Mac, and Portman looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"Nineteen! Why the hell did you wait till you were almost twenty to have sex?" Portman said in disbelief.

"Arranged marriage." Mac said simply.

"Now ya'll are just making me look bad." I pouted from my cot. "However, I consider, as a woman, being a virgin something to be proud of. Means I'm smart enough to say no and draw that line."

"Yeah, you just stay smart then Ice." Duke said.

"Not a problem Dukey Baby." I laughed. He perked his head at what I called him, then grabbed his pillow and threw it at me with and embarrassed smirk, for the guys were laughing at him. I quickly put an arm up in defense and smacked the pillow away, still laughing.

"You damn cracker." He said to me, making me grin.

"Duke, Destroyer, you guys are officially graham crackers." I announced, making them both look at me with perked eyebrows. "Cus you're black. Mac, you're a rice cracker cus you're Asian. Heh, Kid, Reaps, and Portman are salt crackers, cus they white. I'm a wheat cracker, cus I'm forty percent American Indian."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Duke chuckled.

Then we heard the familiar sound of Sarge coming down stairs, and our attention was to the stairwell. He looked around at us for a moment, then smiled.

"Ready to whoop some ass, Marines?" He asked.

"Yes Sir!" We answered.

"Get in the van." He then ordered, and we were instantly filing towards the exit.

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It was about 5:00, and we had just gotten back from the game. We won by 42 to 30, all thanks to free throws. Unfortunately there weren't any good lookin' guys there. Well, none that I was interested in. Not to say that it wasn't an… eventful game. Embarrassing is… a better way to describe it.

The other team had put the ball up, and I was getting ready for the re-bound. One of the guys behind me jumped just when I did, then came down on top of me. However, instead of me falling to the ground, I flew forward and smacked into Reaper. The both of us went to the floor, me on top. My legs were on the outsides of his, making it look like I was straddling him, and when I lifted my head our faces were dangerously close. I quickly apologized and was about to get off of him, but somebody had tripped over our bodies and fallen on top, a leg forcing my head down till it collided with Reapers'. Our lips were pressed hard against each other, and mine were slightly open from when I gasped before. It only lasted for about two to three seconds, then I forced myself up, parting the intimate touch. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, growing hot with embarrassment. Destroyer helped me to my feet, and then helped Reaper. I tried to avoid his gaze, but made an audible apology. Quick to get away from him and back to the game, I failed to see the flattered crack of a smile appear over his face.

On the trip back, to my own discomfort, he sat by me on the van. After a few minutes of trying to control my rattling nerves, he finally just leaned in a spoke in my ear, making me jump a little.

"It's ok Ice, it was an accident." He chuckled, making me look at him. "I wouldn't exactly call what happened a 'kiss'."

I made half a grin, letting out an inaudible sigh of relief. Then he leaned in and said something else, making me blush, and also angry.

"If it was, you're a terrible kisser." He teased in a whisper. I narrowed my eyes at him, a smile of disbelief on my face.

"You know what-" I began, seeing the grin on his face. I couldn't find a good comeback, so I slapped him playfully on the face and then pushed his head away. "Don't look at me! You're a salt cracker. Salt crackers can't lay eyes on greatness!"

"_Greatness_? What's so great 'bout a wheat cracker?" He continued to tease.

"Salt crackers can't _talk_ to greatness either." I stated, pushing his head away again. He laughed and grabbed my arm to take it away from his face, and I got slightly mad at his retaliation. "Don't make me go Asian on you now." I threatened, making Mac turn to me with a cocked eyebrow. I noticed and quickly said, "Cus Asians are great and they kick ass any day."

For a moment he held a straight face, then pulled the biggest smile and nodded his head. "That's right." He said. "Watch out Reaps. If she goes Asian on you, you might get 'the treatment' she always talks about."

Reaper looked curiously at him. "What 'treatment'?" He asked. I slightly smiled and turned to him with an evil grin on my face.

"Oh, just something an Asian friend of mine taught me. First… I'll castrate you with a chainsaw. Then hang your dick from a flagpole for a while till it's endured the weather. Next I'll roast it on a grill, tie you down and force your mouth open, then shove it down your throat till you swallow."

For a moment he was just speechless, then turned to see Duke sitting behind him.

"Hey Duke, you wanna trade spots?" He asked, his voice cracking in mid-tone.

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It was a few hours after the game. I had gone into town that night to do some errands for the rest of the guys. They had planned a movie night in celebration of winning the game, and I pulled the shortest straw to buy the provisions. The grocery store was about to close at eight o'clock, so I rushed to get the packs of beer requested, and other food items. It wasn't a long walk back to the base. Maybe ten to twenty minutes at the most, so I didn't mind carrying it all back.

I passed the Stone Beach bar, avoiding the brawl that had taken place outside it. Things looked pretty serious. One of the men was on the ground with so much blood on his face it wasn't recognizable. It wasn't smart to get involved with these kinds of fights, so I continued on to let the police handle it, sticking close to the wall. I kept an eye on the conflict to avoid any of it coming near me, failing to notice the entrance to a dark alley coming up.

An arm snaked its way around my waste, a hand closing down on my mouth and dragging me into the darkness by complete surprise. Instinctively I dropped the bags in my hands and panicked for a moment. Then I remembered my training. Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I grabbed the man's arm and used leverage to flip him over my shoulder. With a grunt he hit the ground, and I was about to kick him in the face and run before two more arms came out of no where and wrapped around me. Arms trapped, I struggled and watched as the other man stood. He advanced, a mistake, and I jumped and kicked him in the face. I then head butted the man behind me, forcing his arms to loosen, and then elbowed him in the stomach.

I should have brought a knife or something, but didn't expect to be attacked in a town next to a military base. Knowing the best thing to do was to get away, I rushed to get out of the alley. The man on the ground who I had kicked grabbed my ankle as I passed, causing me to trip. I had enough time in the fall to brace myself, and let out a short shout of pain as my right elbow hit the concrete hard. Instantly someone was on top of me, flipping me onto my back and holding my arms and legs down. I was immobile, for he was too heavy to shift.

"Gag her so she doesn't scream." He said to his partner, and I felt my mouth forced open and a cloth being stuffed in. I tried to scream through it, but it did its job well. "Now hold her arms down. I get the first go."

I then realized what they were going to do, and struggled even more to get free, but they were strong. The other man took my arms and I heard a zipper go down. The man on top of me spread my legs and ground his erection against my sex, and he let out a groan of pleasure each time. Tears came to my eyes, for no matter how much I struggled, I wouldn't be able to get free. Unless one of them slips up, but there's little chance of that happening.

He stopped after a while and unbuttoned my pants, pushing them down and sitting up to pull them all the way off. I took this chance to try and kick at him, but he seemed prepared for this and pushed them back down, forgetting about taking them off. Instead he settled himself between my legs again and gave me a hard punch across the face, splitting a lip.

"Behave and this won't be so bad." He threatened, reaching a hand up my shirt and under the braw to grasp my breast. I whimpered in actual fear as the tears fell down my cheeks. _This shouldn't be happening._

With the other hand he slipped between my legs, through my underwear and began stroking my clit. The act was anything but pleasurable, and I tried to scream again when he slipped a finger inside me. It wasn't painful, but having something shoved inside me when I've never felt it being done before gave me a shock. Why he was doing this, I didn't know. Usually a rapist wouldn't waste time trying to please an unwilling victim, but just satisfy his aching erection. He slipped another finger in, going in and out and pressing his thumb against my clit.

"What the fuck are you doing, man? Just fuck her." His partner said impatiently.

"I want her wet and ready." He growled seductively, leaning down and running a tongue across my neck. "Not every day you snag something this beautiful."

Once satisfied, he pulled down my panties and settled his length near my entrance. I gave one last, hard struggle, but to no avail. He shoved himself deep inside me, and I screamed through the gag in pain. He kept going, pushing in and out aggressively. I felt my innocence being ripped away, and was thrown into shock at how painful it was.

"D-Dan. I don't think I can do this. It ain't right." The one holding me down said.

"Shut up and hold her down!"

"I'm serious. I don't have the heart for this, I'm sorry."

I felt that spark of hope in my heart and found that the fear was melting away, replaced by fury. This was my chance. His partner suddenly let go of my arms and ran off, deserting his counterpart and leaving my hands free. While he shouted after him in anger, I grasped his hair tightly in my fist and punched him across the face. He grunted and grabbed my arm, trying to tear it away from his head, but I wasn't going to let go. I pulled his head to the side until he hit the ground, then I managed to get out from under him and punch the living shit out of his face. He was suddenly powerless, limp under the pain. I quickly stood and pulled my pants up, still crying. With one last kick to his balls, I took the gag out and ran. I ran all the way back to the barracks and slammed the door behind me, rushing downstairs to the bathroom. A few of the guys were in the lounge, and noticed me rush by.

"Hey, Ice, where'd you put the beer?" Duke asked, but I ignored his words and went into the bathroom, slamming that door shut also and locking it. I then collapsed against the wall, breaking down in tears and sliding to the floor. The place where I was punched on the face was beginning to ache, and I still tasted the blood from my lip. Most likely there would be a bruise. I brought my legs to my chest and placed my head on my knees, shoulders shaking as I continued to cry. A second later I heard a knock on the door and Duke's voice.

"Ice. You ok?" He asked, and I didn't answer. "You wanna unlock the door?"

I still gave him no answer, and he sighed. Reaper was standing next to him.

"You try. She listens to you." He whispered to him, and Reaper nodded. Duke then walked back into the lounge. He put his face near the crack in the door and tried to speak as soothingly as possible. Something was definitely wrong, and he knew how to get through to me.

"Ice. Please unlock the door. It's Reaper." He whispered loud enough for me to hear.

When I heard his voice I immediately looked up, but didn't do as he asked.

"Please, unlock the door." He said again, and I slowly stood. After hesitating a moment, I turned the lock and opened the door a crack.

"Just you." I said in a scratchy voice. He nodded and slipped in, and I quickly closed and locked the door behind him. I kept my face turned away so he wouldn't see the damage. He saw that my clothes were dirty and hair was out of place, and knew for sure that something had happened. Concerned, he approached and touched my shoulder, trying to turn me to face him. I let him do so, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Who did this?" He almost growled, and I was surprised by the amount of anger in his tone. I opened my mouth to answer, but couldn't get anything passed the swelling throat. I needed to calm down to speak, but the pictures of what happened were burned into my brain, not allowing the tears to stop. He asked me again, grasping my face to make me look at him, but I let out a whimper of pain and recoiled. Realizing he had hurt me, he calmed down a little.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He said. I shook my head and quickly moved toward him, wrapping my arms around his waste and resting my head on his shoulder. For a moment he was shocked, but soon put his arms around me and held tightly. I just needed his comfort and to feel safe right now. To have someone I trust just hold me for a while till I did my quota of tears for the day. He was the right person at the time. Though, he was a little unsure about the embrace at first, for it was the first time we had ever touched in this way. We stayed like that till I was finished crying, then he slowly pulled me away and forced me to look at him again.

"Tell me what happened." He said calmly. It took a moment for me to get the words out.

"I was raped." I said quietly, but he heard it.

"Raped?" By the sound of his voice he was threatening to snap again, but he held himself in check, knowing I didn't need to see him go on a shouting rampage. He cleared his throat and continued. "Where?"

"Near the Stone Beach. Two men jumped me, but one chickened out. That's how I got away. I know the one who raped me was called Dan. His partner gave him away."

He turned around with his fist against his mouth and closed his eyes, breathing heavily through his nose. Then he went towards the door and was about to unlock it, but I got in his way.

"What are you doing?" I pleaded.

"I'm telling Sarge, we're calling the police, and those men are gonna do a hell of a long time in jail." He answered.

"No! You can't tell anyone!" I almost shouted back. He looked at me in disbelief.

"What is wrong with you? At least Sarge should know."

"_Please_, don't! I just want to forget this. I just want it to go away and never think about it again. Can't you understand that?"

"Well _I_ want them to pay for this. You might want to forget, but I can't. I can't just let it go, Ice."

"Why? It's not like it happened to you!"

"But I fucking care about _you_!" He shouted, and I stopped in surprise. There was a long moment of shocked silence, even on the other side of the door. Everyone must have heard that.

"What?" I finally managed to ask.

"I care about you, alright. You're my best friend. Almost like a sister to me, and I can't just sit by while the man who raped you is walking the fucking streets. Can't _you_ understand that?"

I was speechless and suddenly felt guilty, so I looked away from him and wiped my cheeks clean of tears. He sighed and rubbed my arms comfortingly before pulling me into another embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout at you." He said in a calmer tone.

"I'm just confused, ok? It all happened so fast and I'm not sure what to do. I'm scared. I've never been so scared of someone in my life, and it was like a nightmare."

"I'm sorry."

He rubbed my back gently and held me for a while. I closed my eyes and relaxed against him, relishing the feel of him around me, his warmth and his smell. He had a nice smell, and I took it in with every breath.

"Please, don't tell anyone just yet. Say I was jumped or something, but don't tell them I was raped."

"I won't say anything." He promised, though he had every intention of making sure that man paid. _No one so much as touches her without an answer from me._

"Thank you."

"Let's get you cleaned up." He pulled away and closer examined my face. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I hit my elbow pretty hard."

"Get up on the counter and I'll fix you up." He ordered, and I did so. He opened a cabinet and took out cotton balls and a bottle of alcohol, with some large patches. I rolled up my sleeve and looked at my elbow, wincing at the sight. It must have glided along the concrete, for there wasn't much skin left.

He tenderly took my elbow and examined it. "That's a nasty scratch."

I nodded in agreement, and he covered a cotton ball with alcohol. My hand gripped the side of the counter, preparing for the painful stinging. He gently applied it to the wound, not that any less pressure would make it any less painful. I hissed and closed my eyes tight, squeezing the counter. When finished he took a patch, and I blew on the cut to ease the stinging. He then stuck the patch over the wound, sticking it in place.

"My birthday's tomorrow." I said out of no where, and he looked up with a slight grin.

"Really? We'll have to plan something special then, won't we?"

"I don't like parties."

He shrugged.

"I'm not a big fan of them either, but surely a small one here wouldn't be bad. Just the guys as your guests. I know Goat can bake a cake."

I laughed, bringing a bigger smile to his face. "Goat baking?"

"You'd be surprised. He's a good cook, especially on the grill. I'm sure if you ask, he'll grill some good stakes for dinner."

"Maybe. I'd rather just go out for lunch or something, but…" I trailed off.

"You don't want to go into town." He finished for me. I nodded.

"I'll go with you, if you really want to go." _It'll give the guys some time to plan her a party._

"I'd like that."

"Then it'll happen. Everything will be on me, and you can get anything you want, so long as it's at a reasonable price."

I was shocked at the offer, but grateful nonetheless. I knew that when Reaper promised something, or sounded damn serious about a statement, that there was no questioning it. He really is a good friend, and one of the best I've ever had in my life. It's truly a miracle that he came into my life when I was in need of a friend the most, and in all honesty, I love him for it.

"Thanks." I said, and he smiled again.

"It's not a problem. Now, what do you say we go watch that movie? Some horror film called The Descent."

"I'm just gonna take a quick shower first. Tell the guys they can go ahead and start."

"Ok. If you need anything, just say so. I'll be in the next room."

"Actually, could you get me some clothes? I don't want to walk out there like this." I asked.

"Sure." With that he went out and came back a minute later with clothes. I stripped and got under the hot shower. There were red marks on my arms and legs where I was roughly handled, and scratches I never recalled getting on my back and knuckles. Some of it was his blood, and I watched blood wash away from inside my leg where he had truly hurt me. The blood mingled together as it went down the drain. It brought tears back to my eyes, watching what was left of my virginity flow away. I leaned against the wall and just had a good, long cry. After that I felt much better, having let it all out, and finished my shower. I patched up the cuts, dressed in clean clothes, and was ready to answer any questions the guys would have for me when I walked out. There was no avoiding that.

When I sat down on the couch between Duke and Reaper, no one said anything. Duke just passed me the bowl of popcorn and acted like nothing happened. It was a bit of a relief. Reaper must have told the guys not to talk to me about the incident tonight, but I noticed that Sarge was struggling not to say anything. I anticipated a long chat with him tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

_An echo of malevolent laughter rang in complete darkness. There were no walls, no floor, no ceiling, no boundaries to speak of that enabled some sort of base for movement. Yet I ran on some invisible floor, tears running down my cheeks as that fear gripped my heart again. Creatures were screeching in the pitch black around me, cold wet hands reaching for my ankles and clothes. The laughter was incessant, clawing at my eardrums and making me cover them tightly with shivering hands. Suddenly I tripped, and icy touches stung me everywhere, like sickles raining down on my flesh as I curled up like a child in defense. The laughter then ceased, and the hands went away as if on call, and the nothingness was filled with another sound. _

_Screams, of agony, of fear, and of grief. I had never heard so many at once, and it pierced my heart more painfully than fear, and anguish gripped me instead. Then a roar sung out above the screams from a creature I had never heard before, and my quivering body was hit into space, from which I never landed. I just kept falling, and falling, and all sounds faded away. A hand then wrapped around my ankle and pulled, and suddenly I hit something solid again. Somehow I knew what was happening and knew that I needed to run, but a heavy weight rested itself on my ankles and wrists, and a still familiar pain flared deep between my thighs, and heavy breathing and cries of ecstasy filled my ears. I opened my mouth to scream, but never could scream loud enough, like some void just sucked it in at my throat. There was no escape._

I woke with a scream, launching myself up like I had been struggling against invisible restraints. My cheeks were wet with salty tears, and my body covered in a thick blanket of sweat. I couldn't see anything for a moment, like the darkness in my dream still dominated half my mind. There was a quick shuffle of footsteps coming towards me, and I jumped in fear of the sound. Someone was kneeling at my bedside.

"Ice, you ok?" Duke's voice sounded. The others were sitting up in their beds, looking at me. Everyone except Reaper. He was no where to be seen. I quickly wiped my face with the back of my hand and nodded furiously.

"Yeah, it was just a nightmare." I answered, but Duke knew nightmares, and only really serious ones actually have you screaming in your sleep. He gently grabbed my arm.

"Come on, I wanna talk to you." He whispered, tugging at me slightly. I wasn't reluctant to follow, and slipped out of the bed to follow him into the lounge. There he turned on the light, closed the door and took me to the far side of the room to avoid eavesdropping. He looked very serious and concerned, and I knew what the subject of the discussion would be.

"I wanna know what happened when you went into town tonight." He said lowly. "Reaper said not to talk to you about it, but it must have been serious. You come running into the barracks and lock yourself in the bathroom, and I hear you crying on the other side. Then what Reaper shouted, like you guys were having an argument, and then you come out with a beat up face and swollen eyes. Reaper sounded awfully serious, and I knew he was angry when he sat down earlier. Something happened, and it wasn't some little fight on the streets."

I looked down guiltily, realizing how he must feel about me keeping secrets from him, for he's a best friend, and he cares as much for me as Reaper does. He isn't an idiot. None of them are, and to think that I could make up a story like that and get away with it makes me feel like an idiot, and even more confused. Sarge would be absolutely furious, and I'm afraid of what his reaction would be. Maybe Reaper was right, and I should just come clean with what happened and get things done and over with. The idea makes sense now.

"I didn't mean to keep it a secret, Duke. I was just really scared and emotionally unstable at the time, and I still am. I made Reaper promise not to tell anyone what happened until I got my act together, but it's probably best that I just spill it now."

"I'm really worried 'bout you, Ice. Now I _know _that nightmare wasn't about that movie we watched, cus you practically laughed your way through that. Somethin' else brought it on, and you were screaming, girl. You were _screaming_ in your sleep."

"I know." I said quietly. He took my arm again and led me to the couch, sitting me down and him beside me.

"Tell me what happened."

I almost wanted to cry again just thinking about it. That nightmare wasn't entirely about the experience, but it was enough to keep the images burned in my head. To explain what happened again might take a little time. I'm sure if I give the short version, he'll understand just as much. It doesn't have to be a story.

"I had the stuff and I was walking by the Stone Beach. There was a huge fight going on outside it, so I stayed against the wall to avoid it. I didn't see the alley coming up, and a man dragged me in. I fought him and another man for a while, but in the end they had me pinned on the ground. While one held me down, the other raped me. He hit me. Soon after, one of them chickened out and ran, leaving my hands free. I beat the shit out of the guy's face who raped me, and ran for it. Reaper and I were arguing because I didn't want to tell Sarge, but we came to a compromise in the end."

"Did you see the guy's faces?"

"No."

"Fuck!" He cursed, knuckles turning white as he gripped the couch in his anger. "I'll kill the fucker! I swear to God I'll kill the fucker!"

I shushed him anxiously, not wanting anyone else to hear, and he quieted down a little.

"You're not gonna _kill_ anyone." I said.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and I heard Reaper's voice on the other side.

"Ice, Sarge wants to speak with you. Now."

Duke and I stared at each other for a moment, both knowing what was about to happen. He gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder and nodded for me to go. I stood and opened the door, met with a serious Reaper. He followed me up the stairs to Sarge's door, and I paused there. I was suddenly nervous, and didn't know what to say to Sarge. It was becoming scary just to walk in there. I turned to Reaper and spoke in a desperate whisper.

"Come in with me, please."

"He wants you alone."

I hung my head disappointedly and faced the door again, taking the handle to open it. He put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"You'll be fine. He just wants to know what happened."

I nodded and turned the knob, walking into Sarge's quarters and closing the door gently behind me. When I looked up, there he was, standing with his arms crossed over his large chest, looking very serious. For a few seconds there was complete silence, for my voice suddenly left me. After clearing my throat, I forced myself to speak.

"You wanted to speak to me, Sarge."

"Take a seat, Ice." He ordered, and I slowly made my way to his computer chair and sat. He placed himself feet away, towering over me. I couldn't meet his eyes.

"I tried to find out what happened through Reaper, but he said he promised you he wouldn't say a word. I respect him, and his word, so I didn't force it out of him. But Ice, you _will_ tell me what happened tonight in town. I'm not giving you a choice."

I rubbed my hands together, a little angry that this was the third time tonight I'd have to explain what happened. It's not something you want to repeat over and over again, but he's my CO, and I have to do as he says. He has all power over me, and I can't risk my job to keep my mouth shut. That's just stupid.

I cleared my throat again.

"I was raped outside the Stone Beach, sir. Two men attacked me. One chickened out, which is how I escaped. I beat the man who raped me, Dan, and ran back here. I didn't want to tell anyone because I was still scared and a little shocked."

I stopped and waited for something to happen. For Sarge to react. Reaper nearly popped a cork, and Duke went on a cussing spree, so I wondered what his reaction would be. For a long time nothing happened, though. He brought a hand to his face and gripped his chin, furrowing his brow in thought. Sure, he was absolutely furious. I was one of his people, his family, and under his responsibility, and here this had to happen. Raped. It was completely unexpected.

"The police will be notified. They'll want to ask you questions, and you will cooperate. I don't want these men walking the streets."

"Yes, sir. I understand, but I'd like at least one day to think it over before getting involved with the police. If it's not… any trouble." I said apprehensively, unsure of what his reaction would be. He thought for a moment.

"Alright. You go back to sleep, Ice. We'll discuss this Monday."

I nodded and relaxed in relief, standing and exiting his room. Reaper was outside waiting, and I gave him a small smile of gratitude. He wasn't sure what I was thanking him for.

"You kept your promise, Reaper. Even to Sarge. Thank you." I said, and he shook his head in reply.

"It was nothing."

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It was my birthday, and I was quieter than usual due to the fact that no one knew. Except Reaper. I never told anyone else for some reason. Timing was never right. The only congratulations I would get would be from my brother. Duke came in and sorted the mail out to everybody. I turned my back to the rest of them to open mine. It was from my brother, the expected birthday card.

_Congratulations Sis, you're one year closer to your death! Just kidding. Pretend I gave you your birthday spankings, or more appropriately your birthday punches. Heh, happy birthday! _

I smiled and quickly tucked it away in my drawer before someone saw it. Taking some clean clothes out and a towel, I headed for the showers. It was a Sunday, our day off, and I planned on spending my birthday spending some hard-earned money on myself in town. Or, as Reaper said last night, 'his' money. Maybe some new CD's. I've been eyeballing that new Taking Back Sunday album in the music store, so I might buy that and a few pampering items.

When I came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, the room was deserted. Everyone must have gone out. I thought nothing of it and shrugged, slipping my shoes on and heading for the stairs. Halfway up Reaper and Duke jumped down in a rush, nearly running into me. I glared.

"Who put ants in your pants?" I said, about to move around them.

"Where are you going?" Duke asked, stepping in my way.

"Into town."

"You and Reaper going without me? I'm hurt! I'm coming with you then. I got some stuff I wanna get anyway."

I rolled my eyes and pushed my way through. "Fine."

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Duke and Reaper usually aren't a pain in the ass, but today it seemed their goal was to get on my nerves. I didn't get to the music store because Duke insisted on looking through the jewelry store next door. At the time I wasn't suspicious, I just thought he wanted to keep me from doing what I wanted to do. He does that just to yank my chain. In the end I wouldn't tolerate it and walked into the music store with him in tow. Reaper wanted to stay for some reason and joined us ten minutes later. I found that the Taking Back Sunday album was sold out, and wasn't particularly happy about it, leaving the store with a frown. What a wonderful start to my birthday.

Duke stayed in the music store, occupied with the pop and rap section. Meanwhile, Reaper agreed to follow me across the street to the thrift shop. I purchased some bath products, or 'girly pink shit' as Reaper put it. He asked why I wanted this stuff all of a sudden. I came back with the "Why not?" question, which shut him up.

We had lunch in a restaurant on the corner that Duke insisted had the best food in town. It was a country style place with a bar and everything. We sat down at the bar and ordered our food, Reaper paying as he promised. Duke was right, they had excellent food. Their burgers were fresh, ribs and steak well seasoned, etc. I was in a good mood at that point, chatting with the two of them. Until I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Thanks for ditchin' me last night you prick. The bitch beat the shit out of my face once you let her go."

"I'm sorry, man. I chickened out cus the cops were nearby. They were handlin' that brawl outside the bar and I didn't wanna get caught."

"Shut up! That's not the worst you did! You fuckin' said my name in front of her. There aren't that many Dan's around here, and the police will pinpoint me against the wall in no time."

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't. Now go get me a beer."

I then heard the screech of a chair, and a few seconds later a man appeared beside me. The bartender walked up and he ordered his beer. I looked at him at the corner of my eye, frozen in place. He had a bandage over her nose, and I knew it had to be them. He's the one I head butted, and the other's face should be a purple pulp by now. Quickly I reached over and touched Reaper's arm, and he looked at me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing my stiffness. Then he saw the man sitting next to me and turned very serious. He leaned in close to my ear. "Is that him?"

"The one who raped me is behind us. He helped." I answered, nodding in the guy's direction. For a moment he was silent, then he turned his head over to Duke and whispered in his ear. I saw Duke look over at the man sitting next to me with an animalistic rage in his eyes, and knew what they were going to do. Grabbing Reaper's arm again, I tugged him towards me.

"Don't start a fight!" I whispered.

"We're not. We're just gonna temporarily render them immobile until the police get here. From that point, it's not our problem." He said back. "Don't worry. They won't hurt us if that's what you're worried about." He joked, and I lightly smacked him on the arm.

"I just don't want you guys to get in trouble _with_ the police."

"Don't worry about it. Just stay out of harms way, and we'll deal with it."

With that he stood and turned around to the man sitting at the table behind me. Sure enough, he looked like he'd taken a proper beating, but the sight wasn't enough for him. He thought a few more bruises on the face would suffice. Duke stood and walked over to the man next to me and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned.

"Now, you made four mistakes, sir. One: you assaulted a woman. Two: you assisted in raping her. Three: that woman is the best friend of a Marine. Four: that Marine is me."

He then gave the man one hard right hook across the face, knocking him off his seat and to the floor. Duke then got down and flipped him onto his stomach, folding his arms behind him and pushing his knee against the base of his spine. The man was now incapable of movement, and the whole restaurant was silent.

Reaper stood next to the other man, catching his attention.

"You Dan?" He asked.

"Who wants to know?"

"Would you mind standing up for me, sir. It would make this much easier."

Hesitantly, not sure what Reaper's intent was, he stood and straightened his back in front of him. He then bent forward in a gasp of pain as Reaper's fist met his stomach. Reaper then straightened the man up again and grabbed him by the collar, pushing him back against the wall and holding him up about an inch off the ground. He leaned in and growled out his words menacingly.

"If I _ever_ see your face again, I swear to God I'll break it. If I ever see you anywhere near her again, I'll break _you_. And if I _ever_ see you so much as _look_ at her, or _touch_ her again, I'll kill you! Are we clear?"

"Will somebody please get this crazy idiot off of me?" The man shouted.

I turned around to the bartender, who was looking quite pissed that a fight was brewing in his restaurant.

"Call the police. Tell them two rapists are in your restaurant." I ordered, and his eyes suddenly widened in realization of the situation. He rushed over to the phone and did as told.

"I said will somebody get this idiot off of me?" He shouted again, and I turned back to them. When no one moved, he took matters into his own hands and furiously began kicking at Reaper. Reaper dropped him to the ground and head butted him hard, nearly knocking him out cold. He then turned him around and slammed him face down on the table, folding his arms behind his back and pushing them up to almost breaking point. The man yelped in pain and stiffened, not wanting to cause himself anymore agony.

"The police will be here any minute, sir. I suggest you calm down." Reaper told him in a surprisingly calm voice. The man then saw me sitting not too far away at the bar and smiled.

"Ah, I see you've got a nice little bruise on your cheek there, beautiful." He chanted. "You were a good fuck until my friend ran off."

Reaper shoved his arms further up, causing him to wail in pain as his shoulder popped out of its socket.

"Speak again and I'll break your arm." He threatened quietly enough for him to hear. The man believed him. Reaper looked up at me and winked, and I gave him a small smile in return.

The police arrived five minutes later and arrested the two men. One was already being charged for past rape attempts, so he was going straight to jail. When they were gone I hugged Duke and Reaper, not knowing what to say. I was so thankful, no words could describe it. It was the best birthday present ever. We spent the rest of the day just walking around, and spent a few hours in the arcade. Of course, we kicked ass at the shooting games.

We returned to the barracks around eight o'clock. I thought it strange that all the lights were still off. Someone had to have come back during the day. When I reached the bottom of the stairs in the sleeping quarters and turned on the lights, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I was paralyzed, stuck on the spot, looking in complete and utter shock at the mildly decorated room. The whole squad had jumped out of no where, and I heard Duke and Reaper laugh behind me. How did they know? I never told anyone but Reaper!

Someone hugged me from behind and picked me up, carrying me straight to the lounge. I was so shocked I didn't struggle. Everyone followed with big grins on their faces. Once in the lounge I was met with an even bigger surprise. There was a cake in the middle of the coffee table with my name on it. A chocolate cake.

I was set down on the couch and looked up to see Reaper, he sat down next to me and put an arm around me, as did Duke. Everyone suddenly went silent to see if I had anything to say. All I did was stare open mouthed in utter shock at the cake, bringing laughs.

"I saw the birthday card from your brother when getting the mail today. So we planned a little surprise party for you." Duke said next to me. "Did it surprise you?"

I turned my head to look at him. "Yeah. You guys did this all for me? In one day?"

"It took some planning. Goat bought the cake, Sarge bought the decorations, and everybody got you something."

"You actually got me _presents_?" I gasped. I almost wanted to cry. They did all this for me in such short notice, even thought to get me gifts. Now things made sense. Duke and Reaper were only trying to keep me occupied while everyone else planned this.

"Your face is priceless, but can we please light the candles so we can eat the cake now?" Reaper asked.

Though I didn't like parties, this was an exception. It had been a very long time since I had celebrated my birthday with friends, and I had forgotten how great it could be. I was truly touched. Goat had cooked up the best rack of ribs I had ever eaten in my life. They were perfectly seasoned and generously packed with meat, and very tender. He really could cook some mean stuff on the grill, and afterwards we dug into the chocolate cake. Luckily it was quite big, for most of the guys went back for thirds.

After eating, the gifts were brought out, not wrapped though. They didn't have time for that, and just pulled them out of no where. Duke's present surprised me. It was the Taking Back Sunday album I was looking for at the music store today.

"I have connections in that place." He said.

Goat's shocked me even more. It was a hundred gig ipod for all my music. He said it only cost about thirty bucks. Destroyer got me a brand new basketball, and Mac followed suit with a basketball jersey with my last name printed on the back. Kid gave me a book, one of his favorites called The House of the Scorpion. Portman, being the perverted fuck that he is, bought me a thong. I hung it by my finger and stared at the blood red piece of fabric. Then I tossed it at him.

"There you go Portman. You need booty-floss more than I do." I said with a disgusted smile.

Now, I never _ever_ expected Sarge to buy a gift for _anyone_. He didn't know me like the others did, and didn't seem like the type to give a meaningful birthday present. Well, he didn't get me a meaningful birthday present, but something even better.

It was the DMR sniper rifle I had been waiting for, having waited for it to arrive for a few weeks now. I had asked Sarge to put in an order for one, and it just arrived today. It had a range of over one and a half kilometers, the best ranged gun produced in years put to deadly effect. Specially designed bullets for this gun ensure maximum accuracy for the intended distance, and a scope to bring you inches from the target. It was light-weight, perfectly balanced against my shoulder, and just al-together beautiful. I was trembling with excitement, and couldn't hold back an enthusiastic "YES!" as the rifle clicked when I cocked it. Sarge may not be a personal man, but he found a way around that and got me something he knew I wanted.

The only person left was Reaper, and he was unusually silent beside me the whole time. When I looked at him, I saw a distant look on his face and frowned in concern. He wasn't himself, and I nudged him to get his attention.

"Who took the bounce out of your bungee?" I asked in a joking manner, and he looked at me.

"Nothin'… I…" He paused. "I just didn't get you anything. Didn't really have much of a chance to look today."

My face changed from concerned to slightly annoyed and sympathetic. I was annoyed because he thought he needed to get me something, even though what he did for me today was more than enough.

"You already gave me a present today."

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It was getting pretty late, almost midnight. The barracks was getting pretty hot and stuffy with all the activity going on. I was sweaty after playing around with the new basketball in the sleeping quarters, using a home-made net consisting of a morphed clothes-hanger, and clothes. I was also hot after running around playing Hide and Seek to avoid Duke, Kid, Portman, and Mac's birthday punches, birthday spankings, and birthday humps. I'm 25 years old, and I don't need to endure all that. Portman was particularly eager to give me my birthday humps, and I was eager to stay as far away from him as possible.

I managed to escape outside, breathing a gasp of relief as a cool breeze blew over my sweaty body. It felt nice, but it was a very dark and cloudy night, so I wouldn't be enjoying the stars. The lights illuminating the heli-pad in front of me revealed some of the trees around it. I wandered over to the large oak placed a fair distance away and leaned against it, closing my eyes to listen to the sound of its leaves rustling in the wind. Nature is a calming thing. To me, at least. Something I discovered years ago has made me appreciate it for its very deep, living reality. When you concentrate enough, everything has the same sound. The wind sounds like the trees, the trees like the ocean, the ocean like the fire, and the fire like the shifting earth. One sound emits from all these things. A soft hum. That's why nature is calming. It hums in your ear, lulling away discomforts, nagging thoughts, and clears the head.

After a minute I opened my eyes and looked forward. It was pitch black. No lights in the distance, nothing to reveal what's there. Though I knew what I would see if I stared at it long enough, I did it anyway, and watched things move in the darkness. It was scary, some of the things that could reveal themselves in the blackness. For a while all I saw were exotic, slithering monsters, but then they took a more demonic form. Huge creatures the sizes of elephants, and a height well over a one story building. In the back of my head I heard that same roar that haunted my dream the night before. It irked me, but I continued to stare. A frightening snake-like thing with twisting horns on its head appeared, slithering in a pattern through space. I tried to find out what the pattern was, and gazed at it for the longest time. It never revealed itself to me, but a growing flame resided in the creature's eyes. I blinked, knowing I shouldn't have been seeing something like that, and the glow disappeared, as did the monster. My brow furrowed in confusion, but I never took my eyes away from the darkness.

"Ice." A soft voice sounded from behind. I jumped with a start and turned, recognizing Reaper's silhouette against the light behind him. Relaxing, I leaned back against the tree.

"Yeah?" I answered, and he came closer. I couldn't see his face in the dark, and shifted to alter which way the light landed on him. He had a skittish look on his face, slightly nervous, but determined. During this whole party, he still wasn't acting like himself, and I was beginning to suspect it wasn't because of the gift he claims he never gave me.

"I… lied earlier, about not being able to get you something." He confessed, putting his hands in his pockets. "I did buy you something, but it's a little personal. I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone else."

_Personal? He wants to give me something… personal? _For some reason it made me feel a little awkward, nervous even. It's a little easier for him to get me something remotely intimate, since I've shared so much, and he in return. But… _personal_, something so much that he had to give it to me away from the others? He spoke again, interrupting my thoughts.

"And there's also something I've been meaning to tell you for a while."

That made me feel even more awkward, so much that I was shifting feet and avoiding his eyes. I waited for him to continue, and he pulled his hands out of his pockets. For a moment he fumbled with a black box in his hands, and for the smallest fragment of a second my heart lost its rhythm. _Don't be stupid, Kyra. It's nothing like that._

He handed the box to me, scratching his head nervously when I took it. It had the name of the jewelry store down town printed on the front in shiny letters, and it struck me. While Duke and I were in the music store, he stayed to buy me this. I looked up at him, and he met my eyes for just a moment, showing a growing impatience.

"Open it."

I looked back down and took the lid off, revealing a black-stoned necklace inside. It hung by a silver chain, though I doubted it was actually silver. I stared at it for a few seconds before taking the stone in my fingers, examining the beautiful rock, carved into a gem-like shape. Reaper moved in a little closer to look at it.

"It's an onyx stone. It symbolizes strength." He said, and I met his eyes again. "I thought it suited you."

"Why?" I asked, utterly shocked by the gift. He scratched his head and cleared his throat again.

"Well… for one thing you could kick anyone's ass." He joked, then expressed the more serious note. "But I also think you're very strong on the inside. No matter what you've been through, you've come out alright. You have strong determination, endurance, and a strong heart. You're just… strong, Ice, and I admire that. When I saw this, I had to get it for you. That chain's a strong material, so it won't break very easily, just in case."

I looked back down at the stone and rubbed it, admiring its texture and color. Then I closed the box and hugged him, feeling that sudden urge to cry again. It was the sweetest thing he had done for me. A small tear leaked from my eye and I took a deep breath of air to push down any more. He embraced me back.

"Thank you." I uttered, he hummed in reply.

"There's something I want to tell you." He said, pulling me away. I nodded, and he took a deep breath. "A little over a year ago I was assigned a mission. Just me. There were rumors of a training sergeant mistreating his trainees, but the military couldn't prove anything. So they sent me on an undercover assignment to find something that would get him discharged." He paused. "His name was James L. Grana."

My eyes widened and I looked down in thought as he continued, trying to piece this together.

"For a few weeks I acted as a trainee, and managed to dig up a little bit of dirt on him, but not enough to pin him against the wall. Until one day when someone almost drowned, and I had to drag her out of that tunnel and revive her to save her life."

My head shot toward him, not believing this. So it was… Reaper? He's the one who saved me?

"One of his people almost dying was more than enough to discharge him. I did come to see you, once, before I left, to see how you were, but you were still unconscious. I knew I recognized you when you first got here, and when you told me about what happened to you in basic training, I knew it was you. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I didn't know when the right time would be."

"Sweet Jesus, Reaper. Anything else you want to surprise me with today?" I gasped, leaning against the oak tree. "I don't think I could thank you again. You've done too much for me today as it is."

"There's no need to thank me."

I let out a breath, trying to take this in. What else could he possibly do for me? What's happened to me lately is just too good for me. Ever since _he _came into my life. Do I honestly deserve this? Do I deserve him? What do I have to contribute to such a friendship? Nothing. What friend am I to him? What have I done to make him feel like he has to be there for me at every turn? Why do I feel like this is more than friendship?

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It was the night before vacation time, a week after my birthday. As usual, Duke was playing a video game, Goat reading his bible, Mac was pitching fruit (for some weird reason) to Destroyer instead of tennis balls, Portman was complaining about the transporter being late, and Reaper was cleaning his gun. I swear that man cleaned his rifle so much, pretty soon there wouldn't be one left. I was sitting next to Reaper, cleaning my own rifle. The new one I got for my birthday. I've gotten to use it twice at the shooting range, and it's the best fucking gun I've ever had.

"I don't believe this shit." Portman complained behind me. "Six months without a weekend and the goddamned transports are five minutes late, and that's five minutes of R&R I ain't never gonna get back."

"Hey, relax baby, we're on vacation." Duke said, whooping after beating a level of his game. "Yo, this game's layered man." I grinned at the 'old school' language and glanced at him.

Destroyer then smacked a fruit across the room, hitting the cabinet right next to Duke's cot. Duke looked at him with a half-glare, then shook his head and turned back to his game.

"Where are you going, Portman?" Destroyer asked after he had stared Duke down. It really annoyed him when his best friend started talking white, even though he knew he was only being sarcastic.

"I'm going down to El Honto, and I'm gonna lock myself in a motel room… with a bottle of tequila… and three she-boys!" Portman laughed.

I stopped what I was doing and looked at Portman with a raised eyebrow, where as Reaper didn't seem to care much. He was used to Portman's disturbing personality more than I was.

"You're sick, man." Duke said, glancing at him from his game.

"Why do you want to be locked in a hotel room with three she-boys?" I asked, drawing Portman's attention. He grinned.

"Four different pleasure spots in one body, sweetheart. Warm, wet mouth, thick long dick-"

"Nevermind!" I gagged, covering my ears and turning back to my gun.

"Seriously, Portman." Destroyer paused from his batting position. "Are you bi?"

"I'm just a uniquely straight individual. I don't like men, just enjoy the company of a fellow cock."

Reaper and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.

"He's bi." I confirmed.

Destroyer hit another grapefruit and it flew toward Goat. He caught it. "I'm sick of your filth, Portman." Goat said, taking a bite out of the skin and ripping it off to spit it in the trashcan next to him.

"He speaks." Stated Portman. Then he turned to me.

"And what about you, _Ice_? Where are you goin?"

"No where. I'm stayin' here." I answered.

Everybody paused and looked at me.

"What you talkin' about girl? Vacation don't come often so you better take the chance when it comes." Destroyer said, hitting another piece of fruit thrown at him by Mac.

"I'm happy right here. It's not like I got anywhere to go."

"You homeless?" Portman asked with a sneer.

"Sorry, didn't hear that Portman. You're gonna have to take that dick out of your mouth. No, I said take it out. Don't swallow!"

Portman just glared and once again, Duke was laughing.

"Ooo, you really got burned that time Portman." Destroyer commented.

"What about your brother? Isn't he on vacation right now too? You guys could meet up somewhere." Said Reaper.

"He hasn't written to me in a while. Hey, don't touch my stuff." I said to Reaper who had picked up a piece of my rifle.

He leaned in close to me and pointed at a specific point. "You missed a spot." He taunted.

"Shut up!" I smacked him on the arm.

"So, if you don't know where your brother is and he hasn't written to you, wouldn't you be a little worried about him?" Duke asked.

"He can handle himself. I'm sure he's just busy."

"Don't jinx it, Ice."

"I don't believe in jinxes, they do nothing but make you paranoid."

"Whatever, girl. I still think you should fix something up with your brother. In a job like this you never know when the last time you'll see him will be."

"True." Reaper interrupted, purposely trying to get on my nerves.

"_Must _I shut you up myself?" I threatened, drumming my fingers on the table whilst looking at him.

"All I said was one word!" He complained in disbelief.

"Stop talking, Reaper."

"But-"

"Ah!"

"Will y-"

"Zip!"

He glared at me and took the cleaning rag, forcing it into my mouth. I squealed in anger and took it out of my mouth, throwing it in his face and grabbing a crucial piece to his gun before making off with it.

"Hey!" He jumped out of his seat and came after me. Half way to the stairs he caught me from behind, trying to get me to the floor. I laughed and struggled to get out of his embrace. Heavy boots came down the steps, but we didn't notice.

"Listen up men!" We all looked up and saw Sarge standing on the stairs. He looked at Reaper and I and raised an eyebrow. The position we were both in looked nothing like playing around to him. I was slightly bent over to keep the piece away from Reaper and he was behind me with his arms around my waste to get me to the floor so he could snatch it.

Reaper immediately let go and I stood up straight. We both looked at Sarge and he rolled his eyes, closed them, and then shook his head. He looked at us again.

"I swear he started it." I said, nodding toward Reaper.

"Reaper, please control yourself." Sarge said to him.

Reaper's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Wha… y… she… argh!" Reaper growled, and I gave a smile of satisfaction. He glared at me and mouthed 'I'll get you back', then all of our attention was back on Sarge. I could tell he had some news we probably wouldn't like by the look on his face.

"The leave is canceled." He said.

Everybody let out growls and mumbled complaints. Duke got up, "Damnit."

"You got a problem with that Duke?" Sarge asked him.

"Me? No Sarge, I love my job." He said.

What's up Sarge." Said Goat.

"We got ourselves a game." He answered.

I smiled and went back over to the desk to put my gun back together. Reaper came up behind me and took the rifle piece from my hand, going to put his back together also.

"You just wait." He muttered to me.

I smiled.

"You're so much fun to mess with Reaper, cus you're just so easy."

He pinched the skin under my arm and I whispered an 'ow'.

"You just wait." He said again, smiling this time. I looked at him innocently, and then put my hand in his face, pushing his head away playfully. He just bumped hips and shoulders with me hard enough to make my feet shuffle to the side at the impact.

"Kid!"

Kid looked up at Sarge from his book.

"Son, you are now in the Rapid Response Tactical Squad, the RRTS. As are you Ice. Fall in."

I was the first to the stairs with a big smile on my face. Sarge saw it and it made him smile himself, along with Kid. Everyone else came in behind, except for Reaper. When changing in the armory, I noticed he wasn't there.

Our uniforms consisted of a gray jumpsuit, knee and elbow pads, black bullet-proof vests which held things like clips, grenades, and other items. I always wore gym shorts and a wife-beater under my suit, and made sure that all my knives were present. Once dressed up and ready to go, Sarge gave us a briefing. Reaper still wasn't here, which was really strange.

"Union Aerospace has requested assistance to contain a level 5 breach at their Olduvai facility."

_Olduvai, maybe that's why Reaper isn't here. I understand why he wouldn't want to go to his parent's death ground._

"Six scientists are under lockdown in a high-security lab where the breach occurred. Our objective is to asses the level of threat, protect and retrieve UAC property, and maintain quarantine at both Ark portals by any means necessary. _If_ necessary, search and destroy. Any questions?"

Kid spoke up. "So… we're goin through the Ark?"

"Yes."

I noticed Kid's face flush a little, and I understood his nerves. I've never been through the Ark either, so it was a first time for me too.

There were no other questions, so we all filed out of the armory and started down the hall.

"Great vacation. Damn, they go quick." Said Duke, suddenly hyped about the mission.

"Almost like we've never been away." Destroyer agreed.

We entered the helicopter, which was waiting outside. Each of us picked up our main weapons off the walls on the inside. A computer verified the weapons to their owners by the finger print scanner stored on the handle.

"_RRTS Special Ops clearance verified. Handle ID: Ice_" The computer automated voice said.

"There's my baby." I said, kissing my sniper rifle.

"I can't believe we're going through the Ark." Kid said, and I noticed his face was still white with nerves.

"Don't worry, Kid. You're gonna love it." Said Duke, leaning back comfortably in his seat.

"All set?" Sarge said, putting his hand on the handle to close the door.

"Yes sir." We all said.

Then someone grabbed Sarge's hand to stop him, and in came Reaper. I smiled. There was a moment as the two looked at each other, then he sat down by me and Sarge smirked.

"Take us up." He said into his com after closing the door, and the helicopter lifted off.

I looked over at Reaper and was about to say something to him, but the look on his face make me think twice about my choice of words. He had a troubled look on his face and was leaned back, looking up at the ceiling blankly. When he didn't move, I started to get worried about him. This Olduvai thing was really having an effect on him. Maybe he shouldn't have come.

I gently nudged him and he looked toward me. He saw my concerned look and just gave a quick reassuring smile. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of gum, sticking a piece in his mouth and then handing one to me, which I took. I was still a little worried about him, but he could handle his own problems. I've been in his position before, so I know he doesn't want to be bothered about it.

I put the stick of gum in my mouth and let out an ecstatic sigh. _Finally, some action. My very first mission._


	5. Chapter 5

The doors closed and the elevator began going down. I looked at Reaper standing next to me. He seemed unsettled, like he was dreading this. I nudged him and got his attention.

"You ok?" I asked.

He just nodded his head slightly and looked up, watching through the window on the ceiling as the elevator sank deeper and deeper into the earth.

The doors slid open to reveal the bright halls of an underground facility. A geeky, balding man came up to Sarge as he walked out, so he could introduce himself.

"Sanford Crosby, UAC Public Relations." The man held his hand out, but Sarge didn't shake it. The man wiped the greeting smile off his face uncomfortably.

"Now, follow me please." He said, recovering from the terrible introductions.

"How many people you got up there?" Sarge asked, referring to those on Mars, while following the man and the squad walking behind him.

"UAC employs 85 permanent research staff on Olduvai." Mr. Crosby answered.

Up ahead the hall ended and opened up into a huge room, the size of a gym. When we entered, I noticed a small, rounded machine in the center. It seemed strange to have something so simple and small in the middle of an otherwise empty room, which was as big as a hangar.

"Welcome to the Ark gentlemen." Sanford said, turning and realizing that there was in fact a woman present. "And-" He continued, but I put a hand in his face to stop him.

"I'm used to it." I said.

I followed everyone as they stood in line around the little machine in the center of the room.

"Keep your distance from the core, you might get sucked in." Sanford warned, and I assumed that the little machine was in fact the infamous Ark.

Kid turned to Goat, who stood at his left. "You… uh… you ever done this before?" He said nervously.

"Once. Training mission." Goat answered, toning his voice so that it sounded like the whole Ark thing was nothing.

"Hope you had a good dinner, Kid." Joked Duke, ruining the false sense of security Goat tried to place upon the young man.

"It's my first time too, don't worry about it." I said to Kid, patting him on the back.

He was a little comforted by that, but not near enough to erase his nerves.

"Soon as we go through, I need you to shut down the service elevator here. Make sure we get the standard quarantine of six hours." Sarge said to Sanford.

"Ready to proceed." He said in reply, giving a nod of acknowledgement.

A little ball, of what looked like water to me, began rising from the machine on the floor. Then a countdown from the speakers above was started instantly. Sarge looked at Reaper, and Reaper stepped knowingly forward towards the Ark. He held his rifle close to him and stopped in front of it. When the countdown reached one, he leaned forward, closed his eyes, and got sucked into the ball of water. It disappeared into the machine with a flash, and a few seconds later it came back. Reaper had gone through, all the way to Mars in a matter of seconds. The thought of how rough and quick this journey would be didn't help my nerves. Technology could be so scary sometimes.

One by one we preceded through the Ark, and next to last was me. Sarge would be last, making sure everyone who had never gone through wouldn't be chickening out.

The countdown started. Holding my rifle close to my chest, I took a deep breath and stepped towards the Ark. I saw my reflection wavering in the liquid structure, and listened intently to the computer automated voice counting down the time till I was sucked into the tiny thing. My body was shaking violently due to the nerves, and I tried hard to breathe, because once the time came, I wouldn't have a choice but to go through.

"_Three, two, one…_"

I shut my eyes tight and leaned forward, getting sucked into the ball like the others. My entire body felt tightly compacted into a little ball, and my head was spinning so fast I thought I might pass out. I was moving at an extremely fast speed, so I dared not open my eyes out of fear that they would just fly out of my skull.

Almost as fast as it had started, it had ended. My body was flown forward and hit something that definitely wasn't a floor. That thing collapsed at the impact, and I was frozen for a moment, letting my mind catch up with my body. When the thing I fell on started to move, I opened my eyes and leaned my head up to find that I had crashed into Reaper.

"Ouch." Reaper groaned under me.

"Well then why were you standing in front of the Ark you stupid cracker?" I said in a joking manner.

"Thought you'd need a lovely cushion to fall on when you came through." He replied sarcastically.

"Aww, such a gentleman." I said back, getting off of him and standing up. I helped him to his feet and he just smirked.

"You're _welcome_." He stressed. I just tightened my ponytail and gave him the hand, causing him to raise both eyebrows in shock.

He pushed my hand down and said in disbelief, "You did _not_ just do that." Though he still had the hint of a smile because he knew I was just messing around with him.

"Payback." Was my response.

He chuckled. "As usual, I'll return the favor."

"I… don't… give… a… shit." I replied, snapping my fingers in random places with each syllable. I made a motion with my fingers, pointing two at my eyes, and then directed them to him, the signal I was keeping my eyes on him. At least he wasn't so serious anymore. I had a knack for loosening him up when he's in a sour mood.

Pretty soon Sarge came flying through the Ark, but had more success in landing on his own two feet than I did.

"Why we gotta come all this way? Why can't UAC rent-a-cops take care of this bullshit?" Complained Portman.

"Is it always that rough?" Kid asked, wiping the stray vomit from his mouth.

"Believe me, it used to be a lot rougher." A new voice said. I looked and saw the strangest site I probably would ever see. It was a man, or half of one. His lower half was on two wheels, while the upper rested on it like a wheelchair. "There was a time when Ark travel was susceptible to, let's say… major turbulence." He continued.

"What's he mean?" Kid asked Reaper.

"He means he went to one galaxy, his ass went to another." Reaper answered.

"Wow, sucks for him." I muttered quietly to Duke beside me.

"Call it a scientific miscalculation." The man said, obviously not fond of the subject. "Unbelievable as it may seem, UAC does make the odd… tiny… mistake. Marcus Pinzerowsky. You can call me Pinky." He continued. "Follow me."

Pinky drove his little body over to a desk of consoles, stopping behind them and punching a few buttons.

"Where are the personnel who aren't locked down in the lab?" Sarge asked.

"In the atrium." Pinky answered.

The squad stood in front of the controls, and I checked the tiny little machine which was attached to the barrel of my gun. That little machine was a camera, so that someone (in this case, Pinky) could monitor what we were seeing and where we were at all times.

"Pinky, put us up." Sarge said.

"Activating remote personnel surveillance." Said Pinky, concentrating on the controls.

"Circle up men, on my three." Ordered Sarge, turning to us.

We got in a circle, holding our rifles at the ready. Sarge counted to three and we all cocked and raised our rifles, pointing them at any random person we wished. I pointed my gun at Portman.

"Killcams up and running." Confirmed Pinky, looking at the individual screens which viewed what the cameras on our guns saw.

We lowered our weapons and Sarge looked at us all individually. "People, this room is a code red, which means no one gets in without our permission. It stays ours at all costs. Mac, stay here with our friend and secure the door." Mac nodded. "Men, on me, let's move out."

We walked towards a big round door, which looked like the door to a large vault, and it certainly looked tough enough to handle the charge of a dozen elephants.

"Open the door." Sarge ordered a man standing by it.

The door opened by the hinge, not sliding mechanically like the others. That meant it was to be used manually, which I guessed was for security purposes. We continued down a hallway until coming to stairs. I heard a man say as we passed, "Who called in the military?" _They must not know what's going on._

After reaching the top of the stairs, we came into another large room. It looked like a motel, but there was a whole community up here.

"When can I start evacuating people out through the Ark?" A man asked Sarge. He seemed to be the one in charge of the community.

"We're at a level 5 quarantine. Nobody goes anywhere." Sarge replied.

Portman wandered from the group towards a group of ladies. I rolled my eyes when I heard what he said.

"Ladies, we're at a level 5 quarantine, so I'm just gonna have to strip-search you girls." The women looked at each other and gave him un-amused smiles.

"Uh… I don't think so." One of the women said.

Then a blonde haired woman caught his eye as she walked past him. "Hold that thought." He said to the ladies in front of him, and then he went to the blonde. "Excuse me, we're at a level 5 quarantine, so I'm gonna have to strip-s…"

"Portman!" Sarge warned, and he left the girl alone. She stopped in front of Sarge.

"Sergeant, this is Doctor Samantha Grimm, the UAC science officer assigned to retrieve data from the lab." The community man said. When I heard Grimm, I froze and stared at her. Blond hair, blue eyes, sharp features, definitely not related to Reaper. Is she an ex wife or something? I sure hoped it was just a coincidence.

"Sergeant." Samantha greeted.

"Dr. Grimm." He greeted back.

She then looked at Reaper.

"Hello John." She said, obviously familiar with him.

"Hello Samantha." He said back, only with a little less enthusiasm. Unexpectedly, I felt a jolt of jealousy. _That wasn't a formal greeting._

"Hello Samantha!" Duke hooted, looking her up and down. Sarge gave him a sharp look, which was hint enough for Duke to stand down.

"Sarge, this operation is a code red. We really don't have room for passengers." Reaper protested unexpectedly, looking quite determined.

"Excuse me, but I have orders to retrieve data from three servers: Anthropology, Forensic Archeology, and Genetics." Samantha defended, the same determination showing on her features.

"This is a military operation, Doctor. We're really not here to retrieve your science homework." Said Reaper, and I raised both eyebrows at him. He was acting like he was in charge, and if I hadn't known that Sarge and Reaper were good friends, I'd be praying for his life right now.

"Look, I got an idea. Why don't you ask your CO what your orders are?" Samantha said smartly.

Reaper looked at Sarge expectedly, and for the first time I actually thought Sarge was uncomfortable with a situation. He obviously knew why these two were so snappy at each other, and pretty much… heh… didn't want to get involved. However, he quickly covered up his discomfort and said what he was expected to say.

"To contain and neutralize the threat, protect the civilians, and retrieve…" He paused and looked at Reaper apologetically. "… retrieve UAC property."

Reaper shook his head in disbelief, rolling his eyes up to look at the ceiling. I saw his lips move, but didn't hear anything come out. He obviously wasn't happy.

"We finally done here, because I've got a job to do? If you'll follow me." Samantha said, happy that she won the battle. _But not the war._ She started to walk off towards another hallway.

"You chose this Reaper. Is this gonna spoil my day?" I heard Sarge say.

"No sir." He replied quickly, but with a cold tone.

Duke walked passed me to go in stride with Reaper. "Tell me you didn't let a fine-looking piece of ass like that get away from you, Reaper." He said in quite a loud whisper.

"She's my sister." He told him with a glare.I inwardly gave a sigh of relief.

"No shit!" Duke squeaked when he heard the answer.

"Nice one Duke. Just keep your mouth shut next time." I said to him.

"Don't do this again man." Destroyer followed.

"Do what?"

"Mistake his sister for an ex-girlfriend, and on top of that... expressing your obvious attraction to her." I answered.

"How was I supposed to know she was his sister? They don't even look alike." Duke defended.

"Well, he's kinda right Reaper. You look nothing alike. Were one of you adopted or something?" Destroyer said in a slightly sarcastic manner.

"Since when was I part of this conversation?" Reaper asked, turning his head to look at us.

"Come on Reaper. You got dark hair, green eyes. She's like… the opposite. The only resemblance _I _see is your stuck up attitude." I said jokingly.

"Plus, she's fine, and well… I don't think I need to express my abhorrence of your looks man. Personally, I think you need a plastic surgeon or something." Duke said, sounding serious, but we knew he was being his sarcastic self.

"I'd be concerned about your mental state if you thought otherwise, Duke." I teased.

"I'm as straight as they come, baby." He replied.

"She's still my sister. You touch her, you're dead." Reaper threatened in the way only a brother would. He reminded me of _my _brother. I then turned my attention to the conversation at the front of the line.

"You test weapons up here?" Portman asked Sam in disbelief.

"It's a dead planet. You want that stuff tested here, where it's safe, or in your own backyard?" She stated, more than asked. "We're primarily an archeological operation. Weapons Research is in its own separate facility. It has nothing to do with Dr. Carmack's work."

"How many were inside when the lab shut down?" Sarge asked.

"Only Dr. Carmack's team. That's six people." She stopped at another door and turned to Sarge. She had a concerned expression on her face.

"In one of the carbon dating labs there was an internal phone left off the hook." She stated.

"Did you get any information off of it?"

She looked towards the community man that was walking with us, and he held up the recorder, pushing the play button. Coming from it was a woman shrieking and men screaming. I didn't know if anyone else did, but I heard faint, guttural growls in the background. Then he turned it off.

Reaper and I glanced at each other, so he must have heard it too. I was about to look at Duke for the same answer, but this random image of him just standing there, picking his nose like the dumb butt he is, kept me from doing it. I might start rolling with laughter, which wouldn't be proper behavior at the time.

"Open the door." Sarge commanded.

Sam did so, and Sarge told Portman and Goat to lead on. Portman entered first and pulled out a small instrument.

"Magnesium, chromium, lead, it's all normal." He confirmed, Goat doing the same.

The rest of us entered, and Sarge looked at the computer on the wall. I realized that we were in a room about the size of an elevator, the airlock.

"Pinky, give us a schematic." Sarge said over his com, looking at the computer and waiting for Pinky's data to come through.

"Uploading to you now." Pinky replied. The computer screen turned to a map of the facility.

"_Carmack's lab is isolated from the rest of the facility. The airlock is the only way in or out._"

Sarge turned to the squad.

"Goat, Portman: Genetics. Kid, Destroyer: Carmack's office, where he sent the mayday from. Reaper, Ice, keep Dr. Grimm here safe on her salvage op. Duke and I will take the weapons lab, making sure all the hardware's secure. Be safe, gentlemen. Portman, Goat, on you."

Goat undid the airlock door with a hiss, and opened it. Then he and Portman both made sure the left and right passages were clear before the rest of us came out.

"Bet you twenty bucks this ain't nothing but a disgruntled employee with a gun." Portman muttered in front of me.

"I'll take that bet." I said, holding a hand out over his shoulder, and he shook it in agreement. _Whatever the heck was making those growls on that recorder, it definitely didn't sound human. There's something down here, and I got a feeling that it ain't natural. _


	6. Chapter 6

We made our way down the hall. I was checking over my shoulder constantly. This place gave me the creeps. It was so quiet, too quiet, even when nobody was working here. It's a research facility. I should be hearing the hum of computer hard drives, of the air vents pumping oxygen into the rooms, but I hear nothing.

I had my normal assault rifle out, because a sniper rifle would be no use in such a close-quartered space like this. It was stored in the gun-made quiver on my back.

Sam was between Reaper and I, while she led us on only an inch ahead. I could tell she had the same jumpiness as I did, for her eyes were leaping everywhere for any movement that wasn't our own. Reaper was walking backwards, making sure nothing snuck up on us from behind, while I covered the front, checking any rooms that we passed and marking them in florescent marker once proven clear. Most were storage rooms and closets, so nothing was expected in them.

Eventually we came to the Forensic Archaeology lab. Reaper nodded for me to stand guard at the door while he went in to check it out. Sam stepped in confidently and turned on the lights. Obviously she knew the place to be safe because of the security placed at the entrances. After scanning every corner of the room, Reaper confirmed it as clear and I entered, locking the door behind me. Sam immediately went to the computers.

"How much time you gonna need?" Reaper asked her.

"30 minutes tops." She replied, getting to work at the keyboard.

"_Goat, Portman. There is another room to the north. Past Genetics._" I heard Pinky over the com.

"_Copy that._" Replied Goat.

After that it was mostly silence. Nobody reported contact to Sarge, who demanded updates every 10 minutes. Nobody had found anything out of the ordinary. _That's strange. We're looking for six scientists, yet no sign of them has shown up yet. Suspicious…_

My thoughts were interrupted by gunshots coming through the com. Our immediate attention went to the coms and Sarge's shouting.

"_All units report contact!_"

"_Friendly fire, Sarge. Trigger jumpy._" Destroyer replied over the com.

I let out a sigh and shook my head, making eye contact with Reaper.

"Kid." We both said together.

A few minutes later, Sam finally spoke from her computer.

"So, 'Reaper'? As in 'Grim'?" She asked.

"They're Marines, Sam, not poets." Reaper answered.

I was starting to wander around the lab in boredom. Nothing was going to get in here without a lot of noise, so I could at least observe the area. My eyes instantly caught the sight of a skeletal structure in a glass case a few meters away from the computers. I went closer and observed what looked like two skeletons inside. One was a full grown woman. I knew because of the structure of the body. I had actually paid attention in biology and science class in school. The other was a baby sitting in the woman's lap, so I assumed it was her child. The woman's arm was up in defense, shielding the baby from something. I turned to Reaper and called him over.

"Holy shit." He said in disbelief, walking towards it.

Sam turned at his words, and smiled when she saw our sudden interest in one of her discoveries.

"Oh yeah, meet Lucy. Lucy, this is my brother, John, another creature from the long lost past. And that's Kyra, a comrade of his." Sam said, amusing me by introducing us to a skeleton.

"You found human remains?" Reaper asked.

"Humanoid." She replied.

"Humanoid?" I interrupted before she could continue.

"Yes, she and her child were our first major find. We're bringing out more every day."

"You reopened the dig?" Reaper asked, and I noticed the angry tone hidden behind his words. Sam must have noticed it too, for it took her a few seconds to turn to Reaper and make an answer.

"I know I should have told you. I didn't figure it was the sort of thing to jot down on a yearly birthday card. It's been stabilized." Sam insisted.

"Bullshit." He growled.

I decided it would be smart to stay quiet and out of this personal matter. I understood his anger. He wouldn't want to lose his sister the same way he did his parents.

"You wanna talk about safe?" Sam defended. "Like you took a desk job? I'm a Forensic archeologist, John. I'll go where the work is."

"Is that the only reason you're up here?" Reaper continued to argue.

"You wanna know why I'm up here? I'll show you. Come here." She insisted, slipping a data chip into the computer. I went up there along with Reaper to watch. "This is Lucy's chromosome profile. Notice anything?" She asked once the information showed up on the screen.

"My molecular genetics is a little rusty." He replied in a snob-like tone.

"What was the first thing Dad taught us to look for?" She said to that, and I noticed that she had quite a little patience for her brother. It was like that with mine too.

Reaper rolled his eyes and gave in, looking at the data on the screen.

"She's got 24 pairs of chromosomes." He said in disbelief. This was where I got confused.

"What's that mean?" I asked.

"Humans only have 23." Sam filled me in. Ok, but I still didn't even know what chromosomes are. I think I fell asleep during that class. Sam noticed the confusion still written on my face.

"A chromosome is a linear strand of DNA in the nucleus of cells. It carries the genes determining heredity." She explained.

"Oh, ok, so what does the extra pair do?" I asked.

"Makes her superhuman." She stated. Reaper then walked over to the glass case containing Lucy and her child.

"The extra pair makes her super strong, super fit, and super intelligent." Sam continued. "Her cells divide 50 times faster, meaning she heals almost instantly. The fossil record indicates that these people had conquered diseases. We found no genetic disorders, no viruses, and no cancers."

"So what, they were just naturally superior?" Reaper said in a smart-ass tone. I had to admit, his little bad attitude was starting to get on _my_ nerves.

"No. Not naturally. See, the earliest remains found only had 23." Sam explained. "They suspect this extra chromosome may be synthetic."

Reaper then turned to her.

"Bioengineered?" He asked.

"That's a long word for a Marine." She stated slyly, and Reaper just smirked at her.

"We're a squad. Somebody has to be the brains and the other the brawn." I defended.

Sam silently apologized for the comment, then turned back to Reaper.

"Does it ever bother you that you could've spent your life looking in a microscope instead of a sniper scope?" _Ok, now __**she's**__ getting on my nerves. _The thought of Reaper sitting at a desk in a lab coat and looking through a microscope was a little hard to picture. Reaper just shrugged her off and looked back at Lucy.

"If they were so smart, how come they're so dead?" He asked smartly. My eyes were fixed on the child in the mother's lap. I was deep in thought, and I wondered what the mother was trying to keep away from her baby.

"We don't know. Maybe they just went with time." Sam answered.

"You don't shield a baby from time." I said, circling the glass case.

There was a long silence as they thought about my words. It ended suddenly, however, by Goat's voice coming up on the com.

"_We got movement up ahead._"

Reaper suddenly became active and turned to Sam. "Sam, you stay here. Lock the door. Ice, fall in behind me." He ordered.

We exited the lab and made our way down the halls. Pretty soon we could hear the sound of boots clattering up ahead. I then heard Portman over the com.

"_Fucking door's ripped open._"

"_Something's in Carmack's office._" Goat then stated.

This made Reaper and I run faster, but not so much that it wasn't silent. Suddenly there was a crash over the com, followed by Goat's voice.

"_There!_" After that, all I could hear were gun shots.

Silence didn't matter anymore. We ran as fast as our legs could carry us towards Carmack's office.

"_Contact! Moving through Carmack's office, fast!_"

"_Confirmed contact. Moving fast over south corridor._" Sarge answered.

Reaper and I passed through the office. Animals in cages were squealing, barking, and screaming as we passed. We exited the office through another entrance, and then came to the cross section where the shots were being fired.

"Hold your fire!" Reaper shouted after we stopped dead in our tracks to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The firing stopped and Kid gave us the sign to go. We then led from there, following the corridor until it came to an end, opening up to a room. Reaper stopped there and put his back against the wall.

"If you have a weapon, drop it!" He yelled. There was nothing but silence in the room. He nodded to me and I whipped around the corner. I heard stuttering rasps, and my light landed on an old man, whom I guessed to be Dr. Carmack. He was holding a disembodied arm, looking at me with wide, frightened eyes. As the rest of the squad appeared behind me and shined their lights on him, he held his arm up in defense and hissed.

"Don't move." Reaper commanded as Sarge turned the lights on. I then lowered my rifle and inched towards the frightened man, hoping to calm him and let him know we weren't here to hurt him. Of course, that's difficult to do when people are pointing guns at him. Reaper grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"He could be armed." He said, and I raised an eyebrow, jerking my arm out of his grip.

"It's an arm, Reaper. Hardly a deadly weapon. I think I can handle myself."

Sam then rushed in and Reaper had to catch her too.

"Sam, I told you to stay-" He began, but she cut him off after seeing Carmack.

"But he knows me, John!" I then stepped back and raised my rifle again, making room for Sam to confront the confused scientist.

She approached him, and he held up both hands, including the disembodied arm, in fearful defense. Something really serious must have happened to him to have him in such a state, and something very serious must have happened to the person that arm belonged to. It obviously wasn't cut off. There's too much dangling, ripped flesh.

"Dr. Carmack, it's me, Samantha." She said hesitantly. Her words seemed to process through his mind, because he calmed down a little to listen more intently.

"Where are the others? The other scientists, where are they?" Carmack then dropped the arm he was holding, realizing that she wasn't there to harm him. I studied it, realizing it was feminine.

"Where are they? Steve, Hillary. I'm not gonna hurt you." She said comfortingly as she got closer.

_Hillary, so there was a female scientist down here. I could bet that's her arm right there. Something weird is going on here, and I'm not so sure anymore that it's just a disgruntled employee with a gun. It would take one hell of a blast to rip the door to Dr. Carmack's office clean through. _

"I'm not gonna hurt you." Sam said again. Carmack yelped and leaned against the wall, reaching for his left ear with the opposite arm. I thought he was going to hit her. Then, suddenly I heard ripping flesh, and blood leaked from the man's head. He had ripped his own ear off, causing Sam to gasp in fright.

"Jesus Christ!" She screamed, and Reaper aimed his gun at Carmack again for precaution. Sam calmed down after Carmack seemed knocked to his senses by the throbbing pain where his ear used to be, and she turned to the squad.

"Get a med kit!" She said impatiently, angry that all we did was stare at the man instead of helping him.

I unzipped the pocket of my vest and pulled one out, handing it to her.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said again in a calming tone when turning back to him. I kneeled down beside her and began to help. That's when I noticed the wound on the side of his neck. Sarge then spoke.

"Duke, get him to the infirmary with Dr. Grimm. Portman, Kid, and Goat go to the airlock and dig in. Anything trying to get away from us will get driven straight to you. Ice, you stick with Reaper and continue to search the facility. Now, let's see if we can find the body that goes with that arm."

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I made my way slowly and quietly down the corridor. Reaper was behind me, watching the back until we came to a stairway leading down. For a moment I peeked over the railing and shined the flashlight downwards. It lit a floor about thirty feet down, which was one hell of a drop. I began to descend when I heard a dull clank behind me. It was coming towards me from the top of the stairs. I swung around, aiming my gun and fired. The bullet went straight through a bucket.

I quickly looked up at Reaper, who had an apologetic look on his face.

"Watch your footing Reaper! That could have been you I shot!" I scorned in a whisper.

"_Report contact!_" Sarge's voice boomed through the com.

"False alarm, sir. Thought there was something coming up behind me" I said.

"_Don't get twitchy on me Ice. If it happens again I'm taking you out._"

"Understood." I said in a low voice, hiding my anger as much as I could. _He didn't say that to __**Kid**__when he got trigger jumpy._

"You shot before you looked. Are you ok Ice?" Reaper asked, coming down the steps beside me.

"I'm fine, just a little jumpy, that's all."

"Look, if that thing with Carmack freaked you out too much, then maybe you should trade spots with Mac. I can't rely on a-"

"No way. I'm fine Reaper, it won't happen again, I promise."

He gave a reassuring look.

"Ok."

"You still should have watched your footing though." I argued.

"It doesn't justify your mistake." He said to that.

"It doesn't justify yours either. Why did you kick the damn bucket?" I said in a harsh whisper.

He was silent, like he was actually thinking about the answer.

"I wasn't paying attention." He muttered, continuing down the steps. I followed behind him, cursing under my breath about taking action before thought. I've never done that before. This place must really have me on edge. _But what does Reaper have on his mind. He was thinking about answering, not hesitating. He wasn't paying attention alright, because his mind was in a completely different place. That's just not Reaper though. He wouldn't let a thought nag on his mind so much that it distracted him from a mission. Maybe I'm just assuming too much. Maybe he really was just not paying attention to his feet. _

Suddenly there was a loud crash up ahead, and using the map I had pictured in my head of the facility, I estimated it to be the genetics office. Reaper and I raced towards the noise to check it out.

"We heard something in Genetics. We're re-entering." Reaper said over the com as we entered through the door.

"_That's affirmative, Reaper_." Sarge replied.

Once inside, Reaper and I paused. Where the animals had once been in their cages, there was now blood, torn muscle, and shredded body parts.

"Looks like we missed the party." Reaper stated in a whisper.

"What the hell did this?" I asked in disgust, eyeing the mutilated body of a small dog. Suddenly there was growling to the left, and we both turned. Our lights revealed the back of a man in a lab coat, leaning over a rat cage. My mouth was slightly open in disbelief and curiosity. The man wasn't moving or making the sounds of a normal human being. Something was wrong with him.

"What the…" Reaper began. We glanced at each other, and then he spoke for the scientist to hear him.

"Sir, RRTS. We're here to help." He announced.

The man acknowledged his voice and looked at us. My face scrunched in disgust at what I saw. Blood was all around his mouth, and his eyes were almost all black, animalistic. There was a sickening wound on the side of his neck, and his hair seemed to be falling out. His face looked… deformed. Something definitely wasn't right.

He turned back to what his previous focus had been on, which was the rat cage, and grabbed a lab rat from it. The little creature squirmed and squealed in the man's grip, and I noticed it biting and clawing at his hand.

"Sir, are you okay?" Reaper asked warily. The scientist then brought the rat to his mouth, opening it wide and taking the animal's entire head in, ripping it off. He started chewing… devouring it. My stomach lurched.

"Okay." Reaper dragged in a freaked out tone.

The man then devoured the entire rat, sucking the tail in like spaghetti. He was staring at us with a greedy menace that made me very unsure. The way he was looking at us made me feel like... food. It was the way a starving wolf looked at a lovely full rabbit.

He grabbed a knife on the table, eyeing it lustfully, and then turning his gaze to us thoughtfully. His look was threatening.

"Sir, put it down." Reaper tried to reason.

The man didn't acknowledge his voice and charged, holding the blade high above his head. He let out a guttural cry as he did so.

"No, sir, put it down!" Reaper shouted, holding a hand up in front of him. The man continued to advance. I opened fire and shot two holes into his head, while Reaper shot him in the chest. He fell to the ground heavily, face slamming against the floor.

"_Contact report_." Sarge commanded.

"Damn it." Reaper cursed. "We found another one of the scientists."

"Some weird stuff going on here, Sarge." I said, still watching the body that lie on the ground.

"_Can you ID him?_" I leaned down to the body and turned him over, searched his coat, and found the tag.

"Dr. Olsen." I answered. "He rushed at us. Crazy just like Carmack."

"_Is he dead?_"

"Yeah, very." I answered again.

"Should we bag him and tag him?" Reaper asked.

"_Negative. Continue your search._"

We both were silent, and I was examining the body. I turned the corpse's head to look at the neck.

"Look at this Reaper. It's similar to the one Carmack had on his neck." I said.

Reaper kneeled down and examined it too.

"You're right. What could have done this? It's not a gun wound, and it doesn't appear to be a bite. The flesh is just… gone."

"I don't think this is some crazy man with a gun, Reaper. Something really weird is going on here. Look at his face. It's deformed. His eyes are animalistic, and I don't think even a crazy person would start ripping animals open and eating them. Whatever's happening, it isn't natural."

"Let's keep moving. We won't find out anything sitting here and-" He was interrupted by a loud crash behind us. I quickly stood and aimed my rifle at a very big figure running out of the lab. Taking a second to aim, I fired, but whatever it was it was faster than I thought, so I wrongly calculated where it would be.

"Let's go!" Reaper shouted, and we ran after it.

"_Reaper, what have you got?_" Sarge asked.

"We're chasing something." He answered.

"_What do you mean something?_"

"Something big, not human."

"_Damn it! Give me a confirmation on what you are seeing._"

I came to a dead end of the hall, and a vent on the floor was ripped open. The sewers.

"Reaper! It's in the sewer!" I shouted behind me.

"It's in the sewer." Reaper told Sarge. "All units, southeast corridor near the med lab."

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I jumped off the ladder and landed thigh deep in sewer water. It didn't smell as bad as I thought, but it still stank. When you've lived near cow fields and farms, you get used to smelling crap all the time. Once everyone was in the sewer, Pinky's voice came over the com.

"_Tunnel ahead is a main junction. It leads back under the lab complex._"

Sarge then turned to us.

"Destroyer, cover the exit." Destroyer nodded in acknowledgement. Sarge then pushed his way through the water, leading us down the tunnel.

After a few minutes of walking in shit filled water, and not being able to hear as much as I wanted because of the water pouring in, I began to get uneasy again. The hairs on the back of my neck were constantly on end because I felt like a mouse in a maze, with a snake hunting me down. That thing Reaper and I saw in Carmack's office was huge. I was looking over my shoulder all the time, thoroughly checking corners and large crevices in case something was hiding in them. Only Reaper and I appeared to be on edge, while everyone else still thought it was some crazy guy on the loose. We saw what was going on in Carmack's office. They didn't, so we were the ones cautious at the moment.

Sarge suddenly stopped in front of us, and we followed. He bent down and picked up a white lab coat floating on the water. It was covered in blood. He searched for the ID tag and read the name, turning back to us to announce the find.

"We got a Dr. Willits. Steve Willits." He said. "Move out."

We slowly continued on, suddenly becoming more aware due to the find of a bloody coat. That meant a threat, and a threat meant trouble.

I heard something, movement in the water behind me. I whipped round and scanned the darkness thoroughly, but nothing was there. It was hard to determine whether something had moved, for the ripples in the water caused by draining pipes disguised any abnormal disturbances. Reaper stayed with me, scrutinizing the tunnel also.

"You heard that, right?" I whispered to him.

"Yeah." He answered.

"Good. Just making sure I'm not… getting too paranoid."

"You've always been paranoid, Ice. It's how women work." He taunted lowly.

"So I guess that makes men stupid, huh?" I countered. After one last look I slowly turned back around and we caught back up with the rest of the squad.

"Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the Devil, walketh about seeking whom he may devour." Goat muttered.

Portman then turned to him.

"That's real comforting, Goat. That ain't freaking me out at all."

Suddenly he fell through the water. I only felt my heart accelerate when his head disappeared. That meant he either fell in a big ass hole, or something was dragging him down.

"Portman!" Yelled Goat, and everyone's attention turned to him.

"What the fuck?" Sarge exclaimed as Reaper and I dove down to get him.

I felt a head and used that as a reference to find his arm. Reaper found his gun and used it to pull him up.

"Come on!" Reaper shouted, and Goat joined to help.

"Grab his other arm!" I yelled, and Goat fished around for it.

"Goddamn son of a bitch is heavy!" Reaper growled.

Goat found Portman's other arm and started to pull. Soon his gun came out of the water as he began to rise.

"Quick! He's slipping back!" I shouted.

Then Portman's head came above the water. After a few more hard pulls he came out, frantically spitting sewer water from his mouth.

"Shit!" He hissed once he got his footing.

"Portman, what the hell happened!" Shouted Sarge.

"I fell in the goddamn hole. Shit!" He said, rolling his eyes and looking quite pissed. I would too if I went swimming in a pool literally full of crap, but I had to smile a little.

"What did you think you'd find down there Portman? Three dirty she-boys and a bottle of tequila?" I teased.

"Shut up, Ice." He mumbled.

"Everybody on me, and watch your goddamn footing!" Sarge shouted to the squad. "Move."

We continued on for a little while before an intersection appeared, the one Pinky mentioned.

"Goat, Ice, straight ahead." Sarge commanded.

"Yes sir." We complied.

"Portman, you're with me. Reaper, take the Kid and go to the right."

Goat and I proceeded down the tunnel. It was much darker than the others, and Goat was cursing furiously because the light on his rifle was flickering on and off. It stopped after a while, and he shrugged it off as just a glitch or something. Therefore we continued on without concern.

Ten minutes later, when we were coming to a turn in the passageway, Reaper's stressed voice came over the com.

"_Goat, Ice, I think there's something coming up on you."_

Goat and I turned around, shining our flashlights down the sewer tunnel and scanning the water. Nothing was there, nor did we hear anything.

Goat's light then flickered again, going out to our extreme dismay.

"This can't be happening. My light is out." He whispered into the com.

"Great timing." I muttered angrily. I took over watching the tunnel. If there was anything coming or moving at all, the water would show it, but I saw nothing.

"Pinky, do you see anything?" Goat asked through the com. Pinky had an infrared view of what the cameras on our guns saw, so he would be able to see any sort of movement in this darkness. It was a few seconds before he answered.

"No, nothing."

Goat and I looked at each other_. If it isn't coming from that end of the tunnel…_

We both looked down the other end. Right there, looking directly at us, were two shining eyes.

"Dr. Willits?" Goat asked.

_There's no way a human's eyes shine like that in this kind of darkness. _I acted on instinct and shined the light directly at the glowing orbs. _Holy shit! That is NOT a scientist!_

The creature in front of us roared and charged forward at Goat. I fired three shots, but the shock of what I was seeing didn't help my aim. Only one grazed its shoulder.

"Somebody get the fuck over here!" I screamed into the com.

"I'm coming!" Reaper yelled back.

"Hold on Ice!" Duke followed.

The monster roared in anger at the pain in its shoulder, ignored Goat, and attacked me. It moved so quickly I could only avoid its claws coming at my head, but it slashed my arm. I screamed in pain and was suddenly slammed against the wall. The back of my head hit the concrete hard enough to make me feel dizzy. It rattled my brain, but not enough to strike me unconscious.

There was a shout and I opened my eyes to see Goat bashing the monster up the side of the head with his rifle. He dared not shoot it because the bullet might go through and hit me.

The monster gave another roar of anger and backhanded Goat. I saw him hit the water and the creature turned back to me. My eyes widened at what I saw. The fucking thing had more than two eyes. It clawed me once again, cutting me dangerously deep in the stomach, and I screamed in pain again. It opened its mouth and I saw a tongue slither out. For a few seconds it hung around my neck before slithering back.

The creature made a guttural growl and took me away from the wall. It was holding me by the lower part of the vest about five feet off the ground. Then its free, clawed hand went back to a striking position, and my eyes widened again.

I was about to scream, but then there was a gun shot and the creature's hand was blown off. It roared once again in anger and dropped me to the ground. More gunshots fired and I saw it fall back, dead, into the water.

I was shaking uncontrollably and leaning against the wall. My body was in sheer pain. I looked at my hand and it was covered in blood… my blood. The pain in my arm and stomach was almost unbearable. The sewer water wasn't doing the wounds any good, but I fought to remain conscious. I could taste the blood. It was starting to roll down the side of my mouth.

"Man down!" Reaper shouted, rushing to me and starting to take the shredded vest off. When I heard his voice I knew it was him who had killed the monster. It was heroic of him, but it didn't save my life. I knew I was bleeding to death.

I shook my head and held onto him. Everyone else had arrived. I could hear the splashing of their feet in the water.

"Reaper." I whispered through a blood-filled mouth. He paused and looked at me. I saw the fear in his eyes, a fear of losing me. He's never looked so concerned. "Hel-" I could barely get the words out, and darkness enveloped my senses. Goat's face appeared in front of me. He had a scratch across his right cheek. He asked me if I was alright. All he got was a shaking of my head. Everything was starting to go blurry.

"Oh my God! We need to get her to the med lab!" Reaper shouted to the others. The last thing I remembered was Reaper picking me up, and catching glimpses of panicked comrades. Then I went unconscious.

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Reaper laid my body down on the gurney. Immediately my vest and shirt was taken off. Both were shredded like jagged scissors would make paper, and the black material was darker because of the blood it was drenched in.

"I can barely feel her pulse!" Duke shouted, feeling the vein in my wrist. They hooked me up to a machine and it monitored my slowing heart rate.

"Kid, put pressure on her arm!" Reaper shouted, and Kid did so. The blood seeped out and he swallowed hard and looked away, trying to ignore the feeling of the warm liquid covering his hand.

Reaper put a mask over my mouth and started pumping air while Goat was trying to stop the blood loss on the three wounds in my stomach made by the monster's claws. Despite their efforts, however, it was doing little to save my life. When my heart rate was slowing dangerously Reaper called to Sam for a shot of adrenaline. He injected it into me, but my heart rate only kept going down.

"Shock her." Goat said.

He did so, but my heart rate was still dropping.

"Sam! Give me that adrenaline!" Sam turned around and filled another shot, giving it to him.

"Where the hell's Carmack?" Sarge suddenly asked.

"He disappeared." Sam said, trying to keep her attention on the dying person on the table.

"What do you mean he disappeared?"

"He's _gone_. He disappeared." She repeated impatiently.

The adrenaline did nothing. My heart rate had stopped suddenly, so they shocked me again. Everyone was quiet, watching the monitor, waiting for my heart to beat again. It went dead once more.

The silence of the men in the room that followed was so deathly that you would feel shunned if you so much as breathed. That was how Sam felt. She had no idea what I was to all these men, and even in complete silence she felt like an outsider in their moment of grief, because she didn't feel the same.

"She's gone." Duke choked.

"FOR FUCKING GOD'S SAKE!" Reaper suddenly shouted, kicking the trolley next to him and slamming his fists on the table with all the strength in his body. Sarge walked over to Sam, anger coursing through his very foot steps and making Sam turn to him in fright.

"What the fuck is going on up here?" He asked.

"What _are_ you talking about?" She asked defensively.

"Come here." He said, walking over to a body bag on the floor. She didn't move. "Come here!" He shouted. She walked over to the body bag.

"This is _what._" Sarge growled, pulling the top of the body bag down. Sam gasped and took a few steps back.

"What the hell were you doing up here?" Sarge asked again. Sam looked at him in offense.

"This is an archeological expedition! We were doing nothing like _this_!" She breathed.

"This thing had to come from _somewhere_ lady." Portman interfered.

"Portman, shut up!" Said Sarge.

"What… like an alien?" Sam snorted.

"LOOK AT THAT THING!" Portman shouted, pointing to the dead creature on the ground.

"Portman, you need to shut the fuck up!" Sarge shouted again. "You found anything like this on your archeological finds?"

"No." She answered.

Reaper stormed over and shouted. "Then it MUST have come from your FUCKING genetic experiments! This thing KILLED her!" He violently kicked the body on the ground. "She is DEAD because of it! Whatever this thing is it killed those scientists, and they probably MADE it! If you know anything about this Sam you better fucking tell us now!"

She was speechless. Her brother was shouting at her, blaming her for the death of a comrade. _No, she wasn't just a comrade to him. I can tell._

Sam started to feel guilt, and she didn't know why. Something inside her was telling her that it _was_ partially her fault. It wasn't a comforting feeling, and to have that while facing an angry RRTS Marine squad, not to mention her brother, didn't make anything easier. She started to wonder about what was _actually_ going on in Dr. Carmack's office and what they were doing. She knew they were doing something to do with C24, but what could something like that have to do with a monster like this?

"C24. All I know is that they were testing Chromosome 24 on animals. That's all I know about Dr. Carmack's work I swear." She said.

That wasn't exactly the answer Reaper was hoping for. He furiously kicked the monster on the ground and broke a hole into its head. His breathing was heavy and you could tell he was sweating, even with the sewer water still on him. Sarge told him to back off.

Fists clenched, he walked back over to my limp body and held my hand in his. It was cool and limp between his fingers, a feeling he hated, and it brought a growing lump to his throat. Looking at my face, he found my hazel eyes were still open, and gently he closed them. His eyes then caught a glimpse of a silver, shining chain around my neck. Reaching out, he found the end and discovered that it was the stone necklace he had given me. Closing his eyes tight for a moment to push back tears, he fisted the necklace. He got on his knees and laid his head on the gurney, his body shaking. Everyone thought he was crying, but he was shaking from the anger. He raised his head for a moment to take it from around my neck, along with my tag, and fitted them both around his own neck. _I couldn't protect her._ He thought.

"That wasn't what we saw in Carmack's office." Reaper said in a scratchy tone, nodding towards the monster on the floor.

"What?" Sarge asked.

"Me and Ice were shooting at something much bigger. That isn't what we saw." He repeated.

"You're saying there's another one of these fucking things out there?" Portman snorted.

"Yes, Portman, that's _exactly_ what we're saying." Reaper spat.

"If there's another one out there we need to hunt it down… and kill the mutha-fucker." Destroyer suddenly spoke, standing up straight and cocking his gun.

"I agree!" Kid shouted, getting up and cocking both his guns.

Everyone followed the notion, and they watched Sarge, waiting for his opinion. He stood there for a few minutes, looking at each of his comrades in the eyes, seeing the pure raging anger seething within them. It made him feel proud. He felt proud that his men were ready to hunt down a monster that butchered one of their own, and just how strong their anger was. It showed him that this squad was truly a family, and he brought it together and raised it.

"Let's ghost some alien ass." He said with a grin.

They all nodded their heads.

"Duke, stay with Dr. Grimm. Do not argue. You'll have a part in this." Duke kicked a table and cursed. "The game plan is: seek out, trap, and kill. If we can cut off all of its escapes and drive it to the center, we can all zero in on it and take it out. The center is Carmack's office. Reaper, Goat, you'll take the far left through the lab, Portman, Destroyer, take the far right. Me and Kid will take the center path. Take _extreme_ caution. We saw what one of these things did. Don't underestimate it. If you find contact, drive it further towards the center, but do _not_ let it get past you. Otherwise it's lost and we'll have to come up with another strategy. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" They all said.

They ran out of the med lab in their pairs, leaving Duke and Sam with the monster carcass and mine.

Duke covered my body with a black sheet but left the face uncovered. He held my hand and watched me. Sam looked up from the monster that was now resting on a table, ready to be dissected.

She took care in her voice when she spoke. "Was she close to you?"

"She was like a sister to me." Duke answered quickly, not taking his eyes away. There was a moment of silence and he continued unexpectedly. "She had only been with us for a few months. Things were better when she arrived. I remember the jokes we pulled." He made a small smile. "Poor Reaper was the victim most of the time. She sure knew how to make a good comeback sometimes. They always made me laugh… she always made me laugh."

"What about John? What was she to him?" Sam asked.

Duke didn't answer for a while. He knew that I was as much of a sister to Reaper as I was to him. He hesitated for a few more seconds. Then he took a deep breath and said his words carefully.

"She was different with him. As much as Ice and I played around, she never shared secrets with me. A week ago she came running into the barracks late at night, locking herself in the bathroom. Reaps and I could hear her crying on the other side, so I asked her to unlock the door so we could see what was up. She didn't listen to me, but when Reaper tried, she opened the door and let him in. I accepted that their relationship was more… intimate, I guess, and that if it was personal then he was what she needed. I found out later that night that she had been raped. Ever since then she and Reaper have been glued together. I think something happened that night that brought them a little closer. I know he's always liked her."

"Like?"

Duke sighed and rubbed his head.

"I dunno. I'm not sure. Maybe it wasn't like that, but he came to me one day and said he knew her from a while back. He saved her life during basic training when she almost drowned, so maybe they're closer because he told her. To me they're just like two siblings fooling around, but to anyone else it would be flirting. Me and her fooled around a lot, and we were just friends. Her brother is in the Marines you know. I wonder which of us will write the letter telling him she's dead."

"Which one of who?"

"Me and Reaper. I loved her you know. I never had a sister. It was nice to have one for a while." He paused and rubbed his head again. "The hardest part is having to tell her brother how she died." He turned to Sam and had this pathetic and grieving face. "How do you tell a brother that his sister had her fucking guts ripped out by a MONSTER? That she was butchered! That his last family member was taken away from him in less than 15 minutes! How do you say that?" He yelled, and Sam was shocked when he started to weep.

He crumbled down and sat on the floor with his face in his hands. For a moment Sam didn't know what to do. There was a crying Marine on the floor in front of her. What was she expected to do?

After a few moments of standing there, she kneeled down and put a hand on Duke's shoulder. He didn't react to her touch, so she moved beside him and put her arm around him. For a few seconds he took no notice of her. Then he leaned into her comfort slightly and she held him tighter.

Now it made a little more sense to Sam as to why Reaper was acting the way he was. Despite the ten years they had been apart she still knew her brother. He cared so much for the people he knew and loved. Even if a person in danger was his worst enemy… he would do whatever it took to help them. For him to fail to even save somebody he loved would make him feel even more of a failure. She hated knowing that her brother felt that way. She hated seeing a Marine weep in front of her, knowing that John would want to do the same thing. Comforting a stranger like this was one thing, but her brother was a completely different story.

After a few minutes Duke quickly gathered himself and stood. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked down at my body again. For three minutes he took in the last he would ever see of his closest girl friend and sister. Then he pulled the sheet over my head and pushed the gurney into a separate room. For some reason he had a feeling that my body wouldn't be the only one in there when this was over.

_**20 minutes later**_

Suddenly Reaper barged into the med lab with a body over his shoulders. The rest of the squad had followed in behind him.

Everything happened so quickly. The only thing somebody like Sam, who had no idea what was going on, could see was that Portman was on a gurney, bleeding to death from a wound in his neck. Soon enough, he died there.

She was shouted at again by Sarge and five minutes later they left. Portman was put into the same room as I, with a black sheet over him. The door was closed and sealed tightly. Duke and Sam had turned their attention to the body of the creature on the table. She was beginning to rip its rib cage open.

_Complete darkness, like my dream, and I stood in empty space. For a long time I was all alone, then I heard a hoarse whisper behind me. I turned around and was met with the crude, slimy face of a monster. It was three times my size, with empty red eyes, and long sharp claws. It lurched at me with its mouth wide open. I moved to the right, and it swung an arm to hit me. I dodged, then continued to battle it, whatever it was. _

_It seemed like hours that it went on. I had wounded it, for I had strength and power I didn't know I had. At one point I wished I had a knife, then one appeared in my hand. So I wounded the monster with that, but it was difficult to kill. I continued to wound it, and it did little damage to me. _

_I thought it was just a nightmare, so I had no fear towards this creature. It seemed quite real though, but it's just a dream. So, to end it, I fooled it to thinking I was going to dodge again, but instead I ducked and went straight through its legs. Once behind it, I jumped onto its back and drove the knife deep into its skull, then continued to stab and twist, making sure it died. _

_Eventually it fell, and its body disintegrated into mist until it disappeared. There was a dull light surrounding my body, and I felt a sudden surge of energy. I then passed out._

My chest began to rise and fall as I took in some much needed breaths. I felt stiff for a few moments, but it went away. _What happened?_ I remembered shouts, a roar, and pain. After that there was nothing.

I slowly opened my eyes and all I saw was black. Very quickly I found out that it was a sheet. It was obvious because I could feel it draped over my entire body and there was a light showing through from the other side. _Was it a dream? Am I on my cot back at the barracks?_

A few feet to my right I heard a guttural growl. _That doesn't sound like Portman sleeping._ I felt so confused. I had no idea where I was and why I was laying flat on my back with a black sheet over my head. My sheets weren't black. The growl came again and there was a rip.

My heart began to race. That growl was familiar and the familiarity was definitely not friendly. The ripping continued until it was joined by the sound of a moving body. The silence of the room was so perfect that I could hear every little thing going on beside me. I heard the light pat of spit hitting the floor. Then movement was frequent and I knew that something was either standing there or getting out of another cot.

After a few seconds my curiosity got the better of me and I gripped the sheet. Taking a quiet but deep breath, I pulled it off and looked to my right. My eyes widened when a fist instantly flung at me. Through instinct I moved to the side. My own speed surprised me, and how quickly I reacted to such a sudden attack surprised me even more. My body fell off the gurney and hit the floor.

I heard the growl again, only it was more of an angry one this time. Instantly I recovered and got to my feet, looking towards the attacker on the other side of the gurney. What I saw almost made me sick. It was Portman. Or… at least it looked somewhat like Portman. His face was deformed, drool was leaking from his mouth, and he had a sickening wound in the side of his neck. A wound similar to that of Carmack's and the scientist Reaper and I killed in his office. Not to mention his voice wasn't normal.

He leaped over the gurney and slammed me against the wall with a roar. His hands were on my throat and I could feel it collapsing. I started to choke and grabbed his hands. Instantly I noticed that they were the only thing making an attempt to harm me in any way. His legs and the rest of his body were free for me to damage. _Whatever you are, you sure are stupid._

I kneed him in the stomach so hard I heard a few ribs crack and he let go. My head collided with his and I heard another crack, and it sure as hell wasn't mine. His head was bleeding. Then I took his arm, pulled it behind his back, and yanked it up as hard as I could. He screamed in pain as I dislocated his shoulder and elbow, making his arm hang at a strange angle. His body was so limp from the pain that I could do with it whatever I wanted.

Deciding to finish it off, I took him by the back of his shirt and threw him at the wall. His head hit it with another crack, and he stayed on the ground dead. Blood was spattered on the wall and some on the window next to it, and it covered the floor.

I stood there with my mouth open. _How the fuck did I do that?_ I looked at my hands and raised both my eyebrows. _Guess I don't know my own strength._

It seemed like a good time to find out where I was, so I turned my attention to the room. It was small with two gurneys in it, nothing else. Then I noticed the rather large window to my left, and on the other side I recognized the med lab. And, to my own amusement, there was Sam and Duke on the other side with their mouths wide open, staring at me. Then I remembered.

_The sewer. _Then my eyes shot towards my stomach, searching for the wounds I _knew_ had been there. They weren't. I checked my arm. The wound wasn't there either. _Now I'm really confused. _

I opened the door and walked into the med lab. Before I could say anything Duke had me in a tight embrace and it didn't seem like he was going to let go any time soon. I hugged him back.

After a few minutes I pushed him away and turned to the only science geek in here who might know what happened, Sam.

"What the fuck happened to me?"


	7. Chapter 7

Sam was still quite stunned to see me alive, but recovered well after a few minutes. During that time Duke found me a clean tank top to put on, and a wet rag to clean the dried blood off my body. Sam seemed prepared to answer the question I had just asked.

"You were injected with C24." She said.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"What the hell's C24?" Duke asked, looking quite confused.

"Chromosome 24. Its complicated Duke, I don't think you could handle it. Let's just say it does jacked-up stuff to your body." I said to him, then I turned back to Sam. "Ok, once again, what?"

"When you were dying on the gurney, Reaper asked me for adrenaline. I gave it to him the first time, but you were dying quickly. There was no way for them to save your life. Your stomach was nearly ripped open, and you were losing blood too quickly. I had to make a choice when more adrenaline was called for."

"You gave him the C24 instead, didn't you? You put that shit into my body?" I said, a little pissed off. She had no right to do that, even if it did save my life. Who knows what could have happened.

She hesitated before replying 'yes'. Duke then intruded with a question once again.

"What does this stuff have to do with her being alive? I saw her die on that gurney, we were all there. She was as good as dead from my point of view."

"Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. C24 is the twenty-fourth one, which can be injected into the human body, making them superhuman. When I say superhuman, I mean super-intelligence, super-strength, super-fitness, and super-healing. The cells multiply 50 times faster, so wounds heal almost instantly. That's why she's alive." Sam explained simply.

"Why did you do it though? Give her that junk I mean? How did you know it would even work?" Duke then asked, and it was a good question too.

She hesitated again.

"I didn't know if it would work. In fact… I feared…" She stopped there, I wouldn't have it though. I needed to know why she did this to me.

"Fear what?" I pushed.

"That it wouldn't work." She answered quickly, but it seemed unsure to me. I let it go however, for it wasn't important right now.

"That still doesn't tell us why you tried to save her life." Duke said.

"I saw how much she meant to… you all." She almost said John, but thought better of it.

"Ok, so let me get this straight." I rubbed head. "I'm… superhuman?"

"Yes." She answered.

I rubbed my head again, turning and resting it on the table. After a few moments of calming my breathing, I looked at Duke.

"Where's everybody else?" I asked.

"Reaper said that thing on the table there wasn't the one you and him had spotted in Carmack's lab. So they went after it. A while after, they came back with Portman. He died soon, so they went back out to hunt it down."

"So they're still out there?" I asked.

"Yeah."

That gave me a sense of relief. I didn't want them to see me so soon, because they still think I'm dead. How do I react when they see me? How will _they_ react? I wonder if I should tell them about the C24 thing. They probably won't understand, but Reaper would. Maybe I could tell him. Oh shit, how will Reaper react?

The discussion then turned to Portman, and how the fuck he was alive. He wasn't injected with C24, so what had happened? I dragged the body out and Sam had a good look at it, running tests. His blood was filled with the same substance as Dr. Carmack, and the wound on his neck was similar. It had to be connected somehow, so I thought.

All of a sudden it struck me. I went over to the body of the dead monster that had nearly killed me in the sewer. However, I kept my distance. For some reason, it still frightened me, perhaps because of what it did to me. _It took me by surprise. If I had known what it was, I probably could have blown its head off. It only took me by surprise. _I kept telling myself that.

"This thing… it didn't butcher Willits. We found his lab coat in the sewer. This thing _is_ Willits. And Portman…" I turned to Portman's body. "He was changing into one of those monsters. That scientist Reaper and I killed in Carmack's office was changing too. It makes sense now, because his eyes were all animalistic, and he was eating animals alive. He wasn't going crazy, something was just taking over him. He looked something like Portman. Hold on a second. Where's Carmack?" I asked in sudden haste.

"He disappeared a few minutes before they took you in here." Sam answered.

"So he's gone. He's on the loose and he's probably one of those fucking monsters by now!"

"He ain't on the loose anymore Ice. We ran into him about 15 minutes ago outside the nano-wall. Now he's stuck in it." Duke then said.

My eyes went straight to the nano-wall. Right there, halfway stuck there, was a monster similar to the one on the table. It was still alive. I walked over to it, unafraid, because it was thoroughly restrained and was harmless at the moment. To convince myself it was Dr. Carmack, I looked at his left ear, and to my own relief, it was gone. Then I looked into its many eyes.

"What made you change Carmack? It has to be more than a few extra chromosomes. No chemical or lab test has resulted in something so extreme in the past. What happened this time that made it so different?" I muttered quietly, almost to myself. The creature heard every word though.

Suddenly it started screaming, and its claws were waving everywhere. It wasn't trying to hurt me, in fact it seemed the opposite. It was trying to claw itself, and I had no idea why. The eyes closed, and its head started shaking. The screams were of pain, but from what?

Suddenly it stopped, and the body was once again calm. _That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Why was it doing that? _It was one of the many questions I wanted answered, so I left it for now.

"You said there's another one of these running around in the facility? The one Reaper and I saw in the lab?" I asked Duke.

"Yeah." He answered.

"It killed Portman, and that smaller one just barely killed me. What the fuck are they thinking? Don't they see what these things can do to us? We're fucking Marines! But now we're the mice in a pit of snakes! I'm going after them. I'm not letting someone else get butchered by one of those creatures, let alone turn them into one."

I was looking around hastily, searching for my gun.

"Where's my gun?" I asked.

"I won't let you go out there again. You could get hurt." Duke argued.

"This is _my_ choice Duke! Either give me a gun or I'll go out there with nothing but the knives in my pockets!"

"I'm not letting you get killed again! I already lost you once, and that hurt Ice! You have no idea how much that hurt! I'll tie you down and lock you in that room if I have to!" Duke shouted.

"I'm superhuman now! It will take a whole lot more than scratches and a few deformed scientists to kill me! So get the _fuck_ out of my face!" With that I stormed towards the door, forgetting about getting a gun and deciding to just go.

Almost a foot to the door, and somebody had come in, nearly running into me. I looked at his face and realized it was Reaper, and he had Goat over his shoulder. Kid ran right into his back, and so on as the squad came to the door. Despite being pushed though, Reaper was so shocked he couldn't blink _or_ move. His face was white, mouth was half open, and eyes were open wide like he had seen a ghost.

I quickly moved away to let him through, and stayed a good distance from him. Reaper still didn't move. His eyes never left me, and the men behind him were starting to get impatient and wondering why he had stopped. Pretty soon he was shoved forward, making him nearly fall and drop Goat's body, but Duke was there to catch him.

Goat was laid down on a gurney, and I went over to his body to see what had happened. His face was swollen, both his eyes were black, and some of his limbs were at an odd angle. Most likely because they were broken. There didn't appear to be many open wounds, but his nose and mouth had blood coming out of them. Even though Reaper was standing in front of me, I asked Destroyer what happened instead. Right now Reaper was not the person I wanted to talk to, or have any sort of confrontation with what-so-ever.

"We found him dead inside a holding cell. There was blood and wreckage everywhere in there, like there was a fight. One hell of a fight. He probably ran into the thing we were hunting down. It beat the shit out of him, but there was blood leading away from the scene, so we figured he wounded the creature. That should make it easier to find it again." Destroyer answered.

"No! No, don't go out there again just yet." I said.

"We aren't going back out there anytime soon, Ice, until you tell us why the hell you're alive." Sarge said, coming up to me.

Everyone was silent, and their eyes were on me. It didn't make me feel very comfortable, but I had to make something up.

"That doesn't matter right now." I said, then I went to look at Goat's neck. There was no wound.

"How is that not important? You bled to death Ice! Your heart stopped and never came back. You were dead." Sarge continued to push.

"I'll explain later. Right now there are more important things to deal with, like this thing that's killed Portman and Goat."

"Ice, _why_ are you fucking breathing?" He shouted, and I fell silent once more. I glanced at Sam, and she quickly rose.

"We don't know, and we're wasting time trying to figure that out." She said, and I glared at her slightly. Why didn't she just tell him the truth? Is it really that bad? Sarge glanced between us two, then turned to observe the area around him.

"What the hell is that? And whose goddamn blood is on that window?" He demanded, pointing to the creature stuck in the nano-wall.

"It's Portman's. When I woke up he attacked me, and I killed him." I answered.

"What do you mean attacked? He was supposed to be dead." Sarge stated. Duke then spoke up in my defense.

"It's true. Portman was changing into one of those mother-fuckers and was a zombie or something. She had to kill him."

Sam then walked over to the dead creature on the table, and everyone's attention was on her as she prepared to explain.

"You saw the wound on Carmack's neck, right? The scientist you killed in Carmack's office had the same wound, and so did Portman. They were changing. This creature right here is the last stage in the mutation."

I continued. "This thing was Dr. Willits, the one whose lab coat we found in the sewer. And that one in the wall there is Dr. Carmack, you can tell by his missing ear."

"My theory is that whatever attacked those scientists, it gave them this wound… infected them somehow. That's why they were changing." Sam finished.

"I guess that makes sense, but why would it infect Portman and the scientists, but not you and Goat? It could have easily done it considering how much time it would take for somebody to come to the rescue." Destroyer asked.

"I dunno. The one that attacked me tried to lick my neck or something. I don't know what it was doing. That might have something to do with it." I said.

After a few seconds of silence, an unexpected voice broke in.

"It's tongue." Kid spoke, and we all looked at him. "Its tongue is what infected them. Maybe it tried to infect Ice, but decided she wasn't a subject who could carry the infection. It would explain the wounds, and the changes."

"Yeah, but the choosing doesn't make sense." Duke said.

"I have a specimen of the tongue." Sam then spoke. "When Carmack got stuck in the nano-wall his tongue shot out, just missing us. It's on the tray over there." She pointed.

"Ok, hold on a sec. So, this is an infection going around, caused by these creature's tongues. But where did it all start?" Sarge asked.

That made us think for a while. There wasn't enough evidence or clues to give us an idea on how it started. The only thing we really knew at the moment was that no matter what, these things had to be destroyed.

"That's a good question, but right now, if I'm not mistaken Sarge, our objective is to eliminate the threat. I think the threat is pretty damn obvious at this point."

"True. We need to go at a different approach this time though. So far, trying to push this thing into a corner isn't working. It's hiding somewhere, so we need to cut off all entrances and exits to keep this thing _in_. Then we need to find it. Where are all the surface entry points?" He asked Sam.

"There's a pressure door at the end of the north corridor." She said.

"Destroyer, Kid, get there on the double. Give me an update." Sarge ordered.

"Yes sir." Destroyer answered.

"Whatever this thing is, it _cannot_ get back through the Ark. Mac, I want you to arm Pinky with a weapon, with some ST grenades, and seal the Ark door." He informed Mac over the com.

"_Yes sir."_ He replied.

"There's one more door." Sam then said.

"Where?" Sarge asked.

"The entrance to the archeological dig." Reaper unexpectedly answered, and I fought the urge to look at him. Instead I kept my eyes on Sarge.

"Alright, let's go then. Ice, welcome back to the mission." Sarge then said.

We then walked out, meeting in the empty lobby area with Mac. There, we received our orders.

"We're going back in through the airlock. The Ark is sealed. Nothing gets back until everything on this planet is dead. We're going in hot." Sarge said.

"_All UAC personnel evacuated to Earth_." A computer automated voice said.

Then we re-entered the facility through the airlock. Everything was just as dark and hair-raisingly quiet as before. I now had both my rifles back, and feeling utterly fearless now. There was no way I was going to be taken by surprise again by one of those things.

"Reaper, Ice, I want you to scout the facility. Mac and I will cover the archeological dig. Destroyer, Kid, cover the pressure door in the North corridor. Stay on high alert gentlemen, we know what this thing can do. Move out." Sarge ordered.

123456789123456789123456789

Being put with Reaper wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. After the sewer… I just didn't know what to say to him. To me we were just a little bit more than friends, but I wasn't so sure how he felt. Now I was stuck in these dark corridors, all alone with him. Maybe if I just ignored him I wouldn't have to confront him unnecessarily.

We had already checked three rooms and come back into Carmack's office once again. Reaper did a one-over of the room, while I was checking every corner I could find.

"It's clear Ice." He said.

"I don't know about you Reaper, but I don't feel like having my guts ripped out again." I said to that, surveying the ceiling.

"I won't let that happen to you again Kyra. I promise you that." He assured, but it wasn't the way he normally would say it, because he used my real name. I turned to him in time to see him take his com off. Realizing that this was going to get personal, I took mine off and dropped it in my pocket.

His rifle was down, and he was standing with his hands at his sides. His face looked stressed, like he was yearning for something badly. After a few seconds of looking at him, I replied to his words.

"I know, but I don't need protection."

"How did you survive? You died right there in front of me." He asked, not moving from his spot.

"C24." That was all I had to say.

"I guess it makes sense." He paused for a moment, and I knew what he would ask next.

"Who?" He said quietly.

I had to think about that for a minute. Should I rat out on Sam? That wouldn't be right though, for I know how fragile she and his' relationship is at the moment, so telling him that she made him inject that crap into me wouldn't be such a good idea.

"I don't know." I answered shortly.

"It was Sam." He said quickly, and I heard a hint of anger in his tone.

"I don't know." I tried to recover, for I didn't want him and Sam going at it again. Their relationship is fragile enough as it is.

An uncomfortable silence followed my words. I knew how he must be feeling, and certain things had to be said right now. I knew that, but what to say? How do I talk to him now? After a few more seconds the words just came out of my mouth.

"I know it must have hit you pretty hard."

"Yeah." Was all he had to say to that. A few more seconds followed. Then he slowly started to take steps towards me.

"When you died I realized that I never told you all the things I wanted to, because I didn't give it much time. Once you were gone I was so mad that I was too scared to say the simple things to you. I was so angry that I wasn't able to save you when I should have."

"Reaper, I'm gonna say this once and that's it. It wasn't your fault. Goat couldn't even save me, so you have nothing to feel guilty about. You couldn't have saved me even if you were right there by my side. It took me by surprise. This whole fucking mission took us by surprise. I don't want you feeling guilty."

He was silent for a few seconds after that, probably trying put my words to use. Then he said the most unexpected thing.

"Can I hold you for a few minutes?"

I didn't know what to say to that. Sure, it was a simple yes or no question, but I wasn't so sure about it for some reason.

"We have a mission, Reaper. I think we should stay on task." I said as an excuse, and I about smacked myself for saying it. I would absolutely love for him to hold me, but letting my guard down wasn't an attractive thought at the moment, even for that.

"Please." He said.

For a while I stood there, just watching him. _Come on Kyra. The man thought he lost a friend. Surely you could spare him a few minutes. _I had to agree with my thoughts, so I answered him.

"I guess so."

He pushed his rifle behind him and was close to me within only a few steps. I lowered mine and pushed it out of the way, and he wrapped his arms around my waste tightly. He pulled me in so close I thought he was trying to join my body with his. I wanted to savor this moment, because it was rare that I got to touch him like this. It was rare I got to touch him, period.

I had to slide my hands up his chest in order to put them around his neck because he was holding me so tightly pressed against him. It felt so good to be this close to him. I liked being wrapped in his arms. He always smelt nice, even now, after sweating and being in sewer water. His scent was musky, either very strong, or my senses are heightened enough to smell it above all else. His arms gave me a sense of security and safety because I could feel his strength. It felt like nothing could separate me from him.

Once my arms were around his neck I pulled him as close as could be done at this point. He turned his head and buried it in my neck, tightening the hold. I thought I would break, but didn't want him to relieve any of the pressure because the tighter he held me the safer I felt. The stubble of his beard tickled my neck, and it made me smile. I shivered at the feeling, and he rubbed my back, thinking I was shaking from the cold. I only had one shirt on after all, and the heaters weren't on or perhaps even working. His little gesture made me smile even more.

"I thought I lost you." His muffled voice spoke through my neck. My eyes closed and I felt my heart reach out to him. I brought my hand to the back of his head and held him like that, gently rubbing his scalp comfortingly. What would I give just to kiss him now? Just kiss him all over to try to make him feel better, but I kept myself in check.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

He took a deep, calming breath and let it out, almost making me shiver again as his hot breath met my skin. It was a feeling that roused me, and in response my head turned towards his more so he almost had better access. Not that it mattered. He wouldn't do anything.

But he did do something. He snuggled deeper into my neck and planted a kiss. His face was so tightly pressed against my skin that I didn't notice it, and he almost wished I had. At the back of his mind he wondered what I would do if I had, and already his imagination was sweeping him away to pleasant places. No, he quickly drew back, knowing that now wasn't the time to think about such things.

For a few more minutes the embrace lasted. Then he loosened his arms and pulled back, but still remained close to me. Our eyes met and stayed locked for another minute. His eyes looked so beautiful right now for some reason. I was never this attracted to them before, but now they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Then suddenly they turned dark and he looked away.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. He hesitated.

"There's something I think you really need to see." He said. He reached into a pocket of his vest, pulling out an envelope. I stared at it curiously.

"This arrived just before we left. It's from your brother. Sarge took it because he knew what it was about. Intel wanted to make sure he understood. He knew you had to get it eventually, so he gave it to me. I was going to give it to you after the mission, but after what's happened I think you should have it now."

He placed it in my hand, and I looked at it. It was indeed addressed to me. I jumped up and sat on a desk, reaching under the seal and carefully tearing it open. Inside was one letter, and I pulled it out. Reaper had his eyes on me, watching for my expressions for when I read the letter.

Slowly I unfolded it. My brother's handwriting was as clear as day to me, I had read it so many times. It took up the whole page, and I began to read.

_Dear Kyra,_

_By the time you get this I'll be very far away from you. I'm in a cell at the moment, charged with the mutiny of my CO. He wanted me to blow up an entire building full of innocent people, just because the man we were sent to kill was in there. There must have been something wrong with his head, because he wasn't normal that day. I refused to obey his orders, and my comrades agreed, so now I'm here. You know what my fate is. The rules are clear, and I'm to be put to death. Yeah, unfair I know. So much for justice._

_I wish that was the case though. Some scientists need a living, human, adult specimen for some experiment of theirs. I had no say in this, and they picked me because I was to die anyway if something went wrong. I'm expendable now. I'm going to Olduvai. I don't know what they'll do to me, but I'll give them one hell of a fight for you before they get what they want. Hopefully that'll give you one last thing to remember me by._

_This is the last you'll ever hear from me Kyra. I just want you to know I love you, and I want you to be strong. I'm so proud of you. You've accomplished more than you've ever dreamed of by being in the RRTS. Mom and Dad would be so proud of you too. They always wanted the best for you. I'm not sure the Marines are what they had in mind, but I know you're with some great, highly skilled soldiers that will look after you. I hope they have. That Duke guy sounds ok to me, so tell him I'll be watching him and making sure he takes good care of you; and don't drive Reaper too far up the wall, cus you know he eventually has to come right back down on top of you. He sounds like a good guy though. Judging by the pictures you sent me I'm guessing you guys are pretty tight, and I'm guessing you might have a little crush too. Why else would you pull all those evil pranks on him? Just kidding. I'm your brother, so I should know this stuff, right? Of course I do. You got good friends there, and I'm confident they'll be there for you when I'm gone. _

_I love you sis. You kick some ass out there. I heard about your skills, and use them well. They're the best things you got when it comes to staying alive. You be a good girl, and don't get into the same mess I did. I've really fucked up, and I regret it because now we'll never see each other again. Don't you go down without a fight. You're a tough girl, tougher than me in a lot of ways. I'm still your younger brother, and I still look up to you. I hope I did you proud. When I see Mom and Dad I'll give them a big kiss for you, and then be your own personal guardian angel. I always was before, why stop now? I love you. I love you so much Kyra. I will never regret anything more in my life than not being able to see you again. When I got back from that mission we were supposed to be going on leave, right when you were. I had plans to come and see you, surprise you by showing up at your front door. It was all I thought about because I was so excited to be able to see you. Then we could go spend a few weeks in our home town in Oklahoma at our old house to catch up on things. Oh well, life has always hit us the hardest for some reason, and been an unfair bitch. It seems to target you the most though. Even the little things, like nearly getting yourself into the hospital because you got caught up in a brawl. You get into the biggest trouble sometimes Kyra, but I wouldn't love you any other way. _

_I'm so happy for you. I haven't seen you so happy since before high school, so your squad must be a load of really good guys. Hopefully Reaper or Duke can take my place, to comfort and help you whenever you need a safe place to curl up in for a while. Good luck, be safe, and accept the comfort. You'll need it, so take it when it's given. I'll take a tear from you, but don't let it take away your beautiful smile. It's a tough world, and no one knows it better than you. Love you Kyra. _

_Yours forever,_

_Will_

The tears were impossible to hold back. They rolled silently down my cheeks, and I folded the letter back up. I put the free hand to my face and leaned into it, letting out a soft whimper as the lump in my throat seemed to swell.

Reaper rubbed my back, then grabbed my head and gently raised it so I could look at him. He pulled me into a comforting embrace, while I used his neck to hide my face away from the world, hoping uselessly that if it couldn't see me, then it would just leave me alone for once. This was the third time I lost family, and the last. There was no one else to lose now that my brother was gone.

"He committed mutiny to his CO. He was to be put to death, but instead they sent him here, to Olduvai, for some scientists to experiment on him. He's probably dead already. One of those monsters probably killed him." I managed to choke out after shifting my face so my words weren't muffled by his neck. He gently shushed me and rubbed my back, squeezing me tighter against him.

"He could be one of them." I said in a quieter tone.

"You don't know that." Reaper quickly stated.

"Neither do you."

He pulled away from me and grasped my face, a serious look in his eyes.

"So far we've only found scientists. How do you even know he didn't die before all this happened?"

That silenced me.

"He couldn't even be part of this."

I gave an unenthusiastic smile and leaned into him. He put his arms around me once more, and I sniffed the tears away.

"I've got something of yours." He announced, pulling away a little bit and reaching for his neck. From it he pulled a necklace, and I recognized it as the one he gave me. I smiled as he slipped it over my head, along with my tag. Taking the onyx stone in my fingers again, finding that I missed its presence, I moved into Reaper for another embrace.

"Thanks Reaper." I said.

"For what?" He asked.

"For being a good friend."

He was silent for a few seconds.

"No problem." He replied.

We were silent. It was then that the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I listened intently and sensed danger, so I pulled my com back out and refitted it.

"Hear that?" I whispered to Reaper. He took a moment to listen.

"Nothing." He whispered back.

We separated and erected our guns, Reaper quickly putting his com back in his ear. It was the silence. It was far too quiet. Standing back to back, we began scanning to room.

Suddenly there were heavy footsteps behind me, and a thunk sounded, followed by a painful shout by Reaper. I turned to see him fly across the room, landing on the other side of a desk and out of my view. Then there was a roar, and in front of me stood an 8 foot monster. It struck me and I fell backwards, landing on the ground. There was a brief stinging pain on my face, then it stopped. I touched the spot where it had hurt, and on it was blood. The wound had healed.

My eyes then went to the monster. I expected it to be flying at me, so I pointed my gun at it. Then I saw an even stranger site than the act of the deformed Carmack when I spoke to it.

The monster was holding its head and wailing. It stomped and backed away from me, roaring in pain. I stared wide-eyed at it in shock. It was acting all crazy. After a few moments it just ran off, speeding out the door in a screaming fury.

"_Contact report!_" Sarge shouted through the com.

"It's the big one Sarge. It snuck up on us in Carmack's office. Reaper got thrown across the room." I answered.

"_Is he alive?_"

"I'm alive Sarge." Reaper groaned over the com, and I leaped over the desk, kneeling down at his side and helping him up.

"The thing went crazy. It was going to attack me but it just went crazy and ran off. We didn't shoot at it or anything. It just ran off." I said.

"_Why would it do that if it didn't hesitate to kill Goat or Portman?_"

"I dunno. There's a lot of weird shit going on here Sarge. That's just one of them."

"_Follow it_."

"No-can-do. That thing's as good as gone now. I haven't got a clue where it went."

"_Alright. Continue to search the perimeter. Stay on alert._"

"Yes sir."

I then turned to Reaper.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, just got the breath knocked out of me." He answered, holding his stomach and still catching his breath.

"It didn't hurt you did it?" He asked worryingly.

"No." I answered quickly.

"Good. I promised you I wouldn't let you get hurt. I don't mean to." He said.

"I know. Don't worry about it, I'm fine." I said.

Suddenly there was a growl over the com, followed by the sound of ripping flesh.

"_Mac?_" Sarge whispered through the com. There was no answer.

"_Mac?_" He repeated. "_Mac, Mac, you copy? Talk to me. Talk to me, Mac._" Still no answer.

A few seconds later Sarge spoke to all units on the com.

"_Mac's dead._" Then there was a growl and a shot. "_I'm in pursuit. Moving fast out of the dig._" Sarge reported, then Reaper and I were instantly out of Carmack's office and rushing to cut off the creature's path from the dig.

"_Pinky, what do you see?_" Sarge asked.

"_It's big. Very big. Moving fast back to the lab complex._"

Soon we all met up at the airlock during the chase.

"Did you get it?" Kid asked.

"No. Pinky?" Sarge said.

"_Yes Sarge?_" He answered.

"Anything gets through that door, use an ST grenade. It _cannot_ get back to Earth. Reaper, Ice, sweep the corridors. Destroyer, Kid, stay here, shut the airlock. Maintain a perimeter."

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"I'm going to the armory. I think we're gonna need something with a little bit more kick."


	8. Chapter 8

Reaper and I made silent steps down the corridor. Now we not only looked front and behind, but up on the ceiling, and down through the floor. These things could hide anywhere for some reason. When they're right up in your face, they're huge, but somehow they are able to hide in the pipes up on the ceiling, and in the tight spaces under the floor.

I noticed how Reaper stayed much closer to me than usual. He sure was damn serious about his promise on protecting me. Even though I didn't need it, the thought sure counted. I liked it when he got protective of me. Of course, situations have never been as serious as this. There was a time, before the mission, when I found out just how protective he was of me, before the rape incident.

_It was a Saturday night, and we had the night off. Sarge decided to be the nice guy for once and brought us all to the big club downtown from the base. All the drinks were on him, and the food. I was all dressed up for it, not formal or smart, just really done-up. I had on my tight jeans, a wife-beater, my hair was down, and I had a black leather jacket on. It was one of those rare times when I put makeup and jewelry on, or left my hair down. My hair was so long it was annoying to go around daily rituals with it in my face, so I kept it up all the time. This was a different occasion though. _

_When I came down the stairs, the first person to notice me was Reaper. He was quite surprised, and I saw his eyes go up and down my body, taking in this new sight. He looked quite good himself. Some nice baggy jeans and a smart, white shirt that was unbuttoned at the top. I couldn't help but check him out too. _

_Portman gave a loud whistle and hooted when he saw me. I shot him a glare. I didn't like being publicly checked out by any man whatsoever. It just wasn't my thing. Portman didn't take the hint though. _

"_Holy shit Ice! Now I might just have to protect from more guys than just Portman." Duke said._

_I rolled my eyes and walked by, feeling Portman's eyes on my backside. He whistled again and bit his lip._

"_That's a mighty fine pack of junk you got there, sweetheart." He said, and I turned to him with a perked eyebrow._

"_Did you just call my ass a pack of junk?"_

"_Well it ain't nothin' but fat, is it? A fine lookin' piece of fat." He added, and I rolled my eyes again before sitting down on my cot. _

"_You wanna be my date for the night, Ice?" Portman asked with a wink._

"_The closest thing you'll get to a date in your life Portman is a fat-ass woman whose rolls are so thick you wouldn't be able to find her pussy. Of course, even __**that's**__ a little far-fetched for you." I said to him. Everybody had to laugh at that one. Portman had a sour look on his face and he turned back to his own business. _

_The shuttle (bus) arrived and we all piled in. It took about 15 minutes to get to the club, and when we got there, there was a line to get in. Once inside I went straight to the bar with Reaper, Goat, Duke, and Destroyer. I rarely drank, and never drank too much. Drinking just wasn't my thing, and I was careful with it. Past experiences with drunks are what made me so paranoid about it, and I kept my eye on my drink to make sure someone like Portman didn't spike it. I wasn't too worried about it though. Reaper and Duke would watch over me._

_A while after the night went on, guys started to get braver and were coming up to me. I danced with a few, but when they got all feely and crap I pushed them off and sat back down at the bar next to Reaper. He still hadn't moved from his seat yet. _

"_Don't be shy Reaper! Go out there and find a girl to dance with or something!" I shouted over the music. _

_He shook his head and turned back to his drink. I smiled and nudged him teasingly. _

"_Come on!" I said._

"_No." He stated. _

"_You scared?"_

"_No. I don't like to dance." He answered, taking a sip of his beer. _

"_Aww, come on! I'll dance with you!" _

_I couldn't believe I said that. I just asked him to dance with me. Was I going crazy or something?_

_He looked at me and I grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the bar. _

"_No, Ice, I __**really**__ don't like to dance!" He said over the music. _

"_Oh well, you'll just have to deal with it for one song!" _

_He couldn't say no. The last thing he wanted to do was put me down. So, with dragging feet, he went with me onto the dance floor. _

_I found a place on the crowded floor and stopped there. It was a tight squeeze, but that only meant we would have to dance closer together. _

"_It's easy! Just move with the beat and go with me!" I said, trying to get him to at least move around. I started moving my hips, keeping eye contact with him. After a few minutes he started to move with me, but I could tell he wasn't comfortable. I felt like I was embarrassing him, so to try and boost his confidence and I got closer to him and moved with him, instead of him with me. Without him even knowing it, he was in control. _

_He got better, and after a while I noticed he was starting to actually enjoy it. The song then changed to a slow one, and I was about to walk back to the bar when he grabbed my hand and turned me back to him. _

"_One more dance." He said, and I smiled. He __**actually**__ wanted to dance. __**Hope I haven't created a monster**_

_I went back to him, and he put his hands on my waste. Mine went over his shoulders and connected behind his neck, so there was still space between us. Then we slowly moved side to side with the music. He did much better with the slow music, probably because it was the simplest thing to dance to in the world. I tried not to look into his eyes too much, though I could feel him looking at me. If our eyes locked while dancing like this, it would be extremely awkward. It was really nice for a while, just dancing with him. That is, until I smelled alcohol and a man tapped on my shoulder. _

_I looked at him, but had to quickly turn away because of the pungent smell of alcohol on his breath. _

"_May I have this dance, love?" He asked, giggling after his words. _

"_No thank you." I breathed. _

"_Come on, don't be a bitch and dance with me!" The man snarled in sudden anger, grabbing me and jerking me away from Reaper. He must have been extremely drunk to dare to lay hands on me._

_As soon as he had grabbed me, he was screwed. It wasn't by my hands though. Reaper took complete control and punched the drunk hard across the face. He fell to the ground with a broken nose._

"_Touch her again… and I'll kill you." He said through gritted teeth, taking my arm and dragging me away from the dance floor and back to the bar. We sat back down, and his attention was on me instantly._

"_Did he hurt you?" He asked._

"_No! Reaper, what the fuck was that? You broke his nose!" I shouted with a smile, I was laughing. _

"_He had no right to touch you like that." Was his answer._

"_No, you were just mad that he tried to take away your dance partner." I teased._

_He was silent for a few moments._

"_Maybe, but I still didn't like him touching you like that. Even if you were dancing with some other guy I would have been out there beating his ass."_

"_Ok, thanks though." I said, nudging his leg with mine in a friendly way. He smiled and nudged me back. It had to be that night when I started to really like him. That was when the feelings started. _

Up ahead I heard growling, and something that sounded like a struggle.

"Reaper, up ahead." I whispered.

"Sarge, we hear something up ahead. Proceeding with caution." Reaper said through the com.

"_Acknowledged._" Sarge answered.

We then slowly walked down the corridor. The sounds were coming from a room to the right. The entrance was closed, so Reaper and I stood on either side. For a while we listened to the noises.

They were growls, wailing, and something that sounded half human and half one of those creatures. Some sort of struggle was going on in there.

Reaper and I made eye contact.

"Ready?" He asked.

I nodded. He punched in the code on the number panel, and the doors slid open. We then whipped round, shining the flashlights from left to right to find the source of the sounds. Directly in front of us, a few feet away, was one of the monsters. Reaper got ready to shoot, but I stopped him by pushing his rifle down. The monster hadn't even appeared to notice us yet.

It was screaming, holding its head, and running around like it was crazy. I watched it fall to the floor, wriggling in pain. Something was really strange, and very wrong about this situation. I could sense it.

"_What's going on over there?_" Sarge yelled.

"It's one of the creatures. It's… going crazy, just like the bigger one earlier. I think something's wrong with it." I answered.

"_Kill it._" Sarge ordered.

"In a second Sarge. I wanna know what's wrong with it."

"_That was an order, Ice!_"

I ignored his words and watched the monster. Reaper was just as curious as I, so he ignored Sarge's order as well.

The creature continued its painful wailing and wriggling for a few more minutes. Then, with one last loud roar, it went still. Something flew out of its mouth. Some sort of mist, and it was speeding towards me. Before I could react, it had hit me in the chest, disappearing inside me. I flew back, hitting the wall and falling unconscious.

_My eyes opened. Once again, it was dark. Nothing but empty space, and I felt alone once more. It was the dream again. No, I wouldn't have the same one twice. This is different, I can feel it._

_Something then struck me hard from behind. My body flew and landed hard on nothing. I turned over and saw some sort of monster. It looked similar to the one I had dreamt about before, only smaller. It charged at me. _

_I thought about what I did before, and imagined a knife in my hand. A knife appeared, and I flew at the creature with it held high. I drove it deep into the monster's chest, making it fall back. Taking the knife out, I went up to its head and stuck it into the creature's skull, twisting and driving it into the eyes. Soon it went still, dead. Once again, an energy passed through me, and I went unconscious._

"KYRA!" I heard Reaper yell.

My eyes shot open and I flew forward, nearly hitting him.

"Thank God!" He said in relief, pulling me into an embrace. "You weren't breathing."

My eyes drooped and I looked past his shoulder. Right there in my face was a skull with mist surrounding it. My eyes then widened and I pulled a pistol from my belt, firing blindly at the floating horror. The bullet hit it, and it disappeared. Reaper pulled me away in shock, looking behind him. He saw nothing.

"What were you shooting at?" He asked in surprise.

I didn't answer for a few moments.

"I think… I think it was a… spirit." I muttered. Then there was a thunk, and on the floor I saw a dead naked scientist with a bullet in his chest. _Oh my God! Did I just shoot him?_

"_Somebody tell me what the fuck's going on over there!_" Sarge shouted.

Reaper and I were staring, astounded by what had just happened. In the place of the monster that had once been there, was now a dead scientist with a bullet in his chest. His eyes were wide open, and filled with relief and peace. He seemed happy almost.

I made my way toward the body, observing it. His hair was nearly gone, like it had fallen out. It made me think of the scientist we found in Carmack's office. The next thing I noticed was his blood. There were little black clumps in it, and they were slowly disappearing now.

"What the fuck." Reaper said beside me.

"He changed back." I said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"That monster was one of the scientists, and somehow… he changed back. Did you see that flying skull come out of its body?"

"All I saw was mist."

I was deep in thought. There had to be an explanation for this. _The source of the infection HAS to have something to do with this. That dream, or whatever it was, has a connection to this too. Why was I fighting one of those monsters again? What the hell was that… skull thing that came from the scientist's deformed body? What made him change back? Why did the skull come straight to me and not Reaper? He was the nearest. Why are these monsters going crazy? So many questions, but how do I answer them?_

"_WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" Sarge screamed._

"I dunno Sarge. It's best to tell everyone at once. I think Ice has an idea." Reaper answered.

"_All units, meet back at the med lab._"

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Reaper carried the body of the scientist back to the med lab, while I covered him. Once in the med lab, Sam was instantly by his side and looked at the scientist. He laid the body down on a gurney and she covered it with a sheet.

"Dr. Thurman." She said, once getting a good look at him.

Then the rest of the squad came into the room.

"Alright, Reaper, Ice, what's going on?" Sarge asked, looking quite pissed.

"We found one of the smaller monsters. It was going crazy, sort of like the big one that attacked us in Carmack's office. Only this time, it went further. The thing just sort of… died." I explained.

"Died?" Sarge asked.

"Yeah, it fell to the floor and after a few minutes of screaming and wailing, it went still. Something flew out of it and came right at me. It was a… mist, and later I noticed it was a flying skull. I was knocked unconscious for a few minutes, then woke up to see it floating in front of me. So I shot at it, and once it disappeared I saw the scientist fall to the ground dead, with a bullet in his chest. I killed him."

"What was the scientist doing there in the first place?" Destroyer asked.

"He was the monster. He had changed back somehow. I knew because of his blood. It had the same clumps in it that Carmack, Portman, and the dead one that killed me had."

Sarge walked over and observed the scientist.

"I saw this guy at the dig with another scientist. A Dr. Clay and Thurman." Sarge said, looking towards us.

"Did you check their necks?" Sam asked him. "Were there open wounds on their necks?"

"We were conducting a firefight, not an autopsy." Sarge answered coldly.

"They were probably infected. Thurman woke up and went off, then we found him in one of the offices." I stated.

"What are you people working on up here? Sarge asked, looking at Sam.

"We're analyzing bones, artifacts. We're not doing anything like this." Sam defended again.

"That's what you said before. Since then I've lost THREE soldiers! You were doing SOMETHING up here and I wanna know what!" Sarge shouted angrily.

"It must be a genetic mutation, something environmental, or viral. I don't know. According to what Ice and John saw, it could be reversible." Sam said, trying to steer clear of Sarge's question.

"It's irreversible." Sarge growled. I looked at him like he was crazy. Was he not listening to me, or Sam? That scientist went from a monster _back_ to a human. It _is_ reversible. We just don't know how yet.

"Sarge, it's…" I began, but he then interrupted and spat back at me.

"Carmack's condition… is irreversible." He pulled out his gun and walked over to the creature stuck in the nano-wall. He shoved the rifle into its mouth and fired. Blood leaked out and onto his gun, dripping to the floor.

"Because Carmack's condition is that. Duke, Kid, Destroyer, get back to the dig and you make sure that dead scientist is really dead." At this order they left in quite a solemn mood. I understood how they felt. Something wasn't right here, and it wasn't the monsters anymore. Sarge was acting without thinking, and his actions confused me. _What's going on in his head? Is this place having an affect on him?_

Sarge then turned back to Sam, who looked quite frightened at the moment.

"Once again… I've lost three soldiers. What were you people experimenting on up here?" He demanded.

She didn't answer.

"I'm not going to ask you again."

"I told you, it's an archeological research center. Do you think I'm lying to you? Is that what you're saying? You think I'm hiding something? I'm telling the truth." Sam stuttered.

Reaper then stepped in, for he knew his sister and her lies better than anyone else.

"What were you downloading? _What_… were you sent here to protect?" Reaper mentally pushed his sister.

She hesitated and kept glancing at me with what was clearly fear in her eyes. It was a suspicious fear, a fear I didn't know what caused. What was she afraid of? Why would she fear me?

"Show us Sam. We need to know." I told her.

She opened her mouth but closed it again as if to say, _No Ice, you don't need to know. _After further glares from Sarge and Reaper, she very slowly rummaged through the drawers of a desk and pulled out a data stick. She placed it into the slot of the computer and punched a few buttons. A video appeared on the screen of a half naked man strapped to a gurney, and scientists standing around him.

The camera focused on the man. My face twitched in shock, and suddenly my legs felt numb and I squeezed Reaper's arm for support. He looked at me and stabled me with his other hand, his eyes speaking for him when I met them. I tried to hide what I was feeling as best I could and gave a small smile of assurance. It was enough for him and he returned his gaze to the video.

I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the voice of the scientist describing the diagnosis of what was going on. "_The subject's exceeding heart rate was due to struggle._" I faced the screen again, hoping that the man I saw wasn't who I thought it was at first glance. I opened my eyes.

The scientist I recognized to have once been Dr. Carmack was injecting something into the subject on the gurney. I didn't catch what it was he was using. In fact… after looking at the man on the table again, I didn't even hear the thoughts in my head. For a long time I never took my eyes off of him. They were lowering the body into a holding cell.

"_Subject: William Lucas. Charged with mutiny of CO on October 5 of 2039. Sentence: Immediate execution._"

I bit back an urge to gasp or make a sound at all. _Will_? Reaper quickly gathered me to him, trying to turn me away from the video screen, but I pulled back. I wanted to watch. I needed to know what they did to my brother.

The gurney reached the bottom of the holding cell. The video jumped to where he launched forward and let out a painful scream. Involuntarily my eyes began to go watery. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. _Oh God, what's happening to him?_

"_42 minutes after exposure to the C24 serum, the subject began to undergo mutations._"

His hand then changed to a gruesome looking one with long claws, and the effect was going up his arm. He was screaming, obviously in agonizing pain and the veins were popping out of his body. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I was squeezing Reaper's arm in anger. My eyes went to Sam, and she was looking at the floor.

Fury was sewn across my face and I screamed, slamming her against the table and holding the collar of her lab coat.

"You fucking bastards!" I screamed. "You turned my brother into a monster! You turned him… into one of those _things_!

Her eyes were wide with fear and she couldn't even find the courage to fight back.

"We were never going to test on humans…" She began but I shoved her against the table again and broke in.

"Bullshit! You fucking scientists just don't know where to draw the fucking line! They deserved to die! You fuck with nature, nature fucks with you! They deserved to get mutated into the same fucking thing they MADE! But you have NO fucking RIGHT to test that bullshit on an unwilling PERSON!"

"Carmack assured me he was willing." She said.

"That's even more bullshit! Is that what they told you Sam? He was _willingly_ letting us pump a 24th chromosome into his body and _willingly_ letting us mutate him into a MONSTER! He's my fucking brother! My brother would never be a fucking guinea pig for some fucked up scientists! He was forced into it! I know because I read his fucking letter! And you are one of the bastards who did it to him. You knew all along what was going on. You _knew_ that when you injected me with that shit that it might turn me into a monster… just like my brother. That's what you were afraid of. But I know now Sam. I know what causes the change. You didn't see it in the video, but I did. I saw the same skull go into my brother's body that flew into me. Now I understand what's going on. Now I know what this is." I paused for a few seconds and leaned in close to her. "You just found the gateway to Hell." I said the last sentence deathly quiet and it scared the pants off Sam. There was murder in my tone.


	9. Chapter 9

_It was supposed to be the greatest day of the year. The snow was 6 inches thick, and school was canceled due to the sudden icy weather. My friends Desiree (pronounced Des-ir-ay), Jackie, and Donna came over to see if I could come out. We were going to go into town and just… hang out. That's pretty much all we did, and got into trouble occasionally. Harmless trouble, that didn't involve vandalizing public property, or playing childish pranks like throwing eggs at an oldie's house. _

_My brother always wanted to come with me, because he thought hanging out with the 'semi-popular' kids was the cool thing to do. The reason my girls and I were known as 'semi-popular', was because we didn't try to fit in, we just did. We did our own thing in our own little group, and yet people knew who we are because we're the "Asian and black girls, without the 'slut' and 'badass' tied into it." I wasn't necessarily Asian or Black, but I was forty percent American Indian, and they did originally come from Asia, so I guess I'm forty percent Asian. Why do I care?_

_The most harm we did was buy color hair spray at the store and spray a few walls with it. It would have rinsed off by the next day cus it was washable. After that we bought a big pumpkin pie, some whip cream, and ate it in the park at night with plastic forks we jacked from Burger King. Everything we did was classified as 'ghetto', and it probably was, but it was just the way we were. It's how you're used to living when your family isn't the richest of the lot. _

_Also, we were the only girls in school who were brave (or stupid) enough to try out for the football team. We mostly did it for a laugh. There wasn't a law against girls trying out for the football team, and we sure as Hell weren't gonna do cheerleading. Even though most of the guys were twice our size, we used our speed and smallness to an advantage. None of us made it, though, because the coach didn't want girls on his football team. That's what got us into a conversation about the military: the whole sexist thing about women not being aloud to fight in the infantry._

_Donna and I definitely had our sites on being Marines because of this, because Marines got to fight whether they were male __**or**__ female. Desiree and Jackie would rather be nurse's in the Air Force or something, because they didn't have the sort of passion Donna and I had for being in the action all the time. Also, they would get to tend to sexy fit soldiers all day long, which made Donna and I burst out laughing._

"_Girl, I'll be living a barracks full of sexy fit __**Marines**__. Now come on, you gotta admit me and Donna got some guts." I said to Desiree._

"_I'll settle for just normal soldiers Kyra. You could always hook me up with a Marine anyways." She joked._

_It was understandable, because being a Marine most definitely is no walk in the park. I learned that, because I got to speak to an actual squad that was partying at the local club. How I got in at fourteen years old is my own little secret. One of them noticed how strong my interest was, and was willing to tell me anything I wanted to know. He was an older Marine, almost to his forties at least, and that's a long time to have served in that corp. He shared a bit of wisdom with me, telling me the details of their training, how they lived their lives, and the good and bad sides of being one._

"_The title 'Marine' cannot be rented, lent, borrowed, stolen, bought, sold or given. It has to be __**earned**__ through blood, sweat, and tears. If you think you have what it takes Kid, to be part of the elite of the elite, and be able to romp and stomp through hell, death, and destruction, then you'll be alright. But you gotta be highly motivated, truly dedicated, well taught, and experienced to do what you need to do to get the job done." He told me. Then the younger Marine beside him put his word in. He seemed slightly drunk._

"_We were born in a bomb crater. Our Mother was an M-16, and our Father was the Devil. Being a Marine means you don't know the meaning of fear, cus you are fear itself. When I die, it will be for Mom, the Corps, and the American Flag. We're the ones who stole the eagle from the Air Force, the anchor from the Navy, and the rope from the Army. We live like soldiers, talk like sailors, and slap the hell out of both of them. No better friend, no worse enemy. Whether they wanna call us Leathernecks, Jarheads, Marines, Grunts, Devil Dogs, or Ministers of Death Praying for War. All to the Semper Fi! Soldiers by day, lovers by night, drunkards by choice, and MARINES BY GOD!!! OOORAH!!!" He shouted, raising his drink in the air, causing his comrades to hoot also. I looked upon them with such admiration. That night I knew exactly what I wanted to be. _

_I shared what I heard that night with Donna, and it just got her even more thrilled about the job, just like me. We promised each other that when we became Marines, we would try hard to get stuck together in the same squad, so we could kick ass together like we always did._

_Now… about 9 or 10 years later, I haven't got a clue where she is. Yeah, she's a Marine, but our little plan didn't work as well as we wanted it to. She was sent off to a different recruit camp, and I haven't been able to talk to her since. _

_I told my brother that he couldn't come this time, because I wanted 'girl time' with my friends. He had his own friends, and they were fine, so I didn't know why he'd rather hang with his older sister than his guy friends. It didn't matter much to me, and he always did respect my space, so he just said ok and walked off to do his own thing._

_I loved my brother so much, sometimes because even though he was still a scrawny little stick at the time, he would defend his older sister against an army of guys 3 times his size. I respected that in him, and we shared many things in common. Our relationship was stronger than a wall made of the strongest steel._

_So, with that, I put on a beanie hat, sweater, and black sweatshirt over it, warm pants, and boots on, ready to go out into the cold. The car was missing from the driveway, which meant my mom was out buying groceries. My dad was inside, because he got fired from his job the other day. Ever since, he's been trying so hard to get another one, but things just haven't worked out so far. I hoped he got one soon, more for his sake than ours, because he gets into these moods of depression when he can't support the family properly. I never respect him more though, cus no matter what, I know how hard he tries and I still love him. I tell him that, just so he knows. It doesn't help him like it used to though, and I don't know why._

_We may not be the richest people around, but that never mattered as long as we stayed a family. Every day was perfect, so long as that fact remained true. However, this was the day when everything changed. Family had a different definition to me now, because now it was one number short. _

_When I got home that night, there was a police car outside the house. My dad and brother were standing beside it, talking to two policemen. At first I thought they were here for me, because of what my friends and I did the other day with the hair spray. It seemed pretty stupid though, to come to my house for something dumb like that. The paint washed off the next day._

_However, I then noticed that our car was still missing from the driveway. Mom wasn't home yet, and she should have been hours ago. Something was wrong. _

_I came up behind my dad and took his arm, asking him what was going on. When he looked down and met my eyes with his grey ones, I saw that they were filled with tears. I wasn't stupid. The clues made things clear. Something happened to my mom, and it must be bad, because my dad doesn't cry about just anything. I looked at my brother, and he was sitting on the ground, hugging his legs to him, with the blankest look on his face. _

_My dad never answered my question, just told me to get in the police car. I obeyed, and they went in behind me. The policemen then got in and started to drive off, out of the neighborhood. I asked my dad where we were going. He said the river. That only confused me, because what would make my dad cry that was so bad? What happened at the river?_

Reaper had stood back this long because all I was doing to his sister was shouting. And he believed she deserved it. He knew exactly why I was acting this way, and he didn't blame me. In fact he thought I was under-reacting, considering the motives. But the tone of my voice when I said those last words made him worry a little. He took the rifle off of his shoulder and set it down, ready to do something if things got a little more serious.

I ripped a hole in Sam's face with a glare and she was shaking with fear. One hand released her collar and balled into a tight fist. Then, with all the anger and strength in my body, I brought it back to meet her with a crushing punch. My anger was so great, I forgot about my 'superhuman' strength and was going to give it all I had in that punch. However, at the last second I realized this and lessened the amount I put into it. I didn't want to kill her, just make her hurt really bad. It broke her nose, cut her lip, bruised her left eye, and made half her face bleed in one punch. Almost instantly four arms took me and pulled me off of Sam, kicking and screaming.

It was all too much. I was crying hard and wriggling with everything I had to get Sarge and Reaper off of me. I got away from Sarge, but I had the feeling he let go. Reaper swept my legs out from under me and I fell to the floor. He kneeled down and picked me up, trying to pull me to him but I was punching his chest hard enough to keep him away. He still didn't let go of me though. Eventually my grief overwhelmed my anger and I broke down. I let him pull me to his chest and hold me there while I cried. No, no, no, it was all just too much.

"He's one of them." I choked. "Why Will? He never deserved that." My voice faded.

He put a hand on my head and pressed it closer to him, resting his on it and squeezing me comfortingly. He kissed my head. The gesture was shocking and unexpected, but it was truly comforting. It made me huddle even closer to his body, and that's where he held me tightly.

Sam was standing there with teary eyes, holding her face and leaning on the desk for support. She looked at me, crying in Reaper's arms. Her guilt was overwhelming. _I injected her with C24 without her permission, making her superhuman. Then I have to show her a video of her brother taking the same treatment but with a completely different affect. As crazy as it may sound… I know I deserved that punch, and I'll take it like I should._

"_Sarge, we got a problem. The dead scientist is missing._" Destroyer said through the com.

"Pinky, are you there? Pinky?" Sarge said urgently.

Pinky's scared voice then came over the com.

"_Sarge, something is cutting through the Ark door._"

Reaper instantly pulled me to my feet and wiped the tears from my face. I sobered up a little, loosely holding my gun. He saw the grief in my eyes, they were swimming with it. He was about to say something but closed his mouth when Sarge rushed out of the room. We followed.

"You have a visual?" Sarge asked.

"_Oh, I got a visual all right._"

"Don't let it get to the Ark!" Sarge yelled.

Suddenly a female computer voice came over the speakers and began a count down.

"_Five._"

"Pinky, use the grenade!" Sarge shouted.

"_Four._"

"Use the goddamn grenade!"

"_Three._"

_The fucking coward is gonna let it through._

"_Two._"

"Throw it!" Sarge screamed.

"_One._"

The lights flickered as someone, or something entered the Ark. A few seconds later the hydro seemed to go out in total.

We entered the Ark room through the thick metal door that was cut clean through. It was empty. No Pinky or monster. Duke, Kid, and Destroyer met up with us there only seconds later.

"_System re-boot. Time required to begin renewed operation: five minutes._"

Reaper looked at Sarge.

"Sam's still back there." He said.

"You got three minutes." Sarge told him quickly, then turning to the rest of us.

Reaper then ran as fast as he could out the door.

I was standing quiet, with my head towards the floor. Sarge noticed and spoke to me.

"I need you here Ice. Can you still continue this mission?" He asked.

I didn't acknowledge his words. My mind was on something different. _How do I face my brother? He's still alive in there. If he wasn't… then why would the demon go crazy and run away. He was fighting it so it wouldn't hurt me, so he must still be in there. That means he can change back. He'll need my help though. How do I help him? I know my brother. He should have been strong enough to kill the demon, like I did. What weakened him?_

My mind thought hard for the answer. My brother was the greatest, kindest man I had ever known. How could something so evil take over something so good? It just didn't make sense. Then my mind went back to his letter.

_He seemed angry in his letter. Maybe that made him weak. When he knew what was being done to him by the scientists, he might have gotten angry and sought revenge or something. My brother would do that, because he didn't believe in any of these 'unnatural mutations', whether they were extreme or not. Revenge is a sin, so that must be what made him weaker against the demon. It makes sense. It's the only explanation I can find._

"Ice!" Sarge shouted, trying to get my attention. I looked up at him.

"Can you continue this mission?" He exclaimed.

"Not like I have a choice anymore." I mumbled in reply.

"Then can I _rely _on you Ice?"

For a moment I looked down at the floor. "Yes Sarge, you can always rely on me… for any mission." I mumbled again.

"Good."

"_Ark activated: ready for transport._" The computer said.

"Let's go. Reaper will have to catch up. Destroyer, you first." Sarge ordered.

One by one, Destroyer, Duke, Kid, and Sarge entered the Ark. I insisted on being last, using Reaper as an excuse to stay behind for a few more minutes. Sarge believed me and went through.

For a few seconds I stared at the Ark, fingering the golden chain of a necklace in my pocket. My reflection wavered in the liquid ball, but my blank face was still clearly seen and determined. It was a familiar sight. It was the look I had when my mom died, and then my dad a few years later. My brother was always there to change it to a smile though. If it wasn't for him, I would have stayed in grief and misery for years probably. But now… he's not here for me. Now it's my job to bring him back, and I _will not_ fail. I refuse to have my brother taken from me and kept in misery for the rest of eternity. He's caged and being kept in a demon's mind. I won't have it.

"Sorry Sarge, but this mission is over. From this point… it's every soldier for themselves." I muttered.

With that I turned and walked through the cut door, out of the Ark room. I went straight for the airlock to go back into the facility and find my brother. If it was, in fact, the other scientist who had gone through the Ark, and not him. If it was visa versa, then I'd kill the mutated scientist and go back to the Ark, hoping Sarge and the rest of the squad hadn't killed him yet. Or he, them.

After the first five to ten minutes, I had searched Genetics and the Forensic lab and found no trace of anything living that had been there recently. Whatever was here, it knew it was being hunted. I neared Carmack's office for probably the fourth time this mission. The ripped door was dead ahead, and so far I could sense nothing inside. I came only a few feet away when I heard snarls. I stopped dead in my tracks, keeping my rifle up and pointing it inside the office.

Suddenly, two four-legged creatures, the sizes of very large dogs, jumped into view. I took in what was happening before I shot. The features of the two creatures in front of me couldn't be seen, and I didn't want to shine the flashlight at them, for that would only draw unwanted attention to me. They were fighting with each other, snarling and growling. I heard ripping flesh and a howl, then a loud roar as the hurt one took revenge. The first idea that came to mind was that these were two infected dogs. They were mutated now, which was why their outlines looked so big, and their noises so guttural and crude.

However, they weren't what I was looking for. So, very slowly, and as quietly as I could, I began to back up.

"ROOOOAAAAR!"

I shot round and met the face of a fully mutated scientist. It slashed me across the face with its claws and I slammed against the wall. There was a sudden silence, and I realized the two dogs had stopped fighting. They now knew I was there.

_Shit. Things just get better and better!_

There was a snarl and I turned my attention to the dogs. One had leaped at me, its face coming into my flashlight. I saw its fangs, longer and sharper, and its claws were the same. It was covered in blood, and the fur had fallen off on most of its body, leaving raw pink flesh underneath. The eyes were red and empty, and it had doubled in size.

It landed directly on top of me, pushing my rifle to the side with its weight so I couldn't shoot. I felt the claws go inside my shoulders and legs as it stood on top of my body. This caused the strap of my gun to rip, and after the claws dug deeper, the strap had completely broken through. My rifle was pushed away from me, out of my reach.

The dog opened its mouth wide, and its breath smelled of blood and something completely different that I didn't want to know of. All I knew was that it stank so bad I had to stop breathing. It was about to lurch down, taking my head in its jaws, before it was suddenly knocked off of me by the other dog.

I sat up and crawled backwards to get away, but the scientist had quickly grabbed me by the back of my shirt and picked me up. Limbs flailing, I focused my eyes to see that I was being rammed against the metal wall. I screamed and braced myself for the impact. My body crashed against it and I felt some ribs break. The monster pulled me back and rammed me against it again, then again. My head was spinning, and I didn't know how to get out of its grip. It had me by behind.

Another roar sounded and the other dog leaped at the scientist. At impact they both fell to the floor, and I was thrown down the hall so far I almost went inside Carmack's office. While the two fought, I tried to recover. My broken bones healed, and my head stopped spinning after a few seconds. I sat up, trying to find out where I was and what my situation was. One of the dogs and the scientist were dueling. Then my eyes searched for the dog that had been tackled. It was right there, standing up and turning to me, and I saw that its face had been clawed many times, or bitten. I shot to my feet and started down the hall as quick as I could. I knew that no matter what I had, I couldn't kill these three monsters on my own.

Within a few feet of my attempted escape, a massive mouth had clasped around my ankle and swept me to the ground. It started to violently jerk my leg from side to side, ripping the flesh and breaking my ankle. I turned over to see the bloody-faced dog. With my free leg I started to kick it in the head, trying to get it in the eye with the heel of my boot at least. There was a _squish _as I felt an eyeball burst underneath the impact, and the dog howled in pain, letting go of my leg and flailing its head. However, to my own awesome luck, my ankle was still mangled and unhealed, so I couldn't run off just yet. I wasn't willing to just sit there though.

With painful groans, I tried to stand up and used the wall to support me. Once on my feet, I started to quickly limp away from the scene. I could hear the dog wailing behind me, and starting to walk half-blindly after me. This only caused me to go faster, which didn't help my ankle, which wasn't healing as quickly as I wanted it to because I was constantly leaning on it.

Almost around the corner, and something had dropped down on my shoulders, causing me to fall to the floor. It was shrieking and scratching my head with its tiny claws. I reached for the beast and felt a sticky flesh. It bit my hand and I shouted, angrily yanking it off my head and throwing it at the wall. When I looked at it I realized it was a mutated little monkey.

_What the fuck is wrong with the place? Now the fucking animals are turning into demons and wanting me dead! You're gonna pay for that you little parasite. _

I then remembered my sniper rifle. Hopefully it hadn't fallen out of the quiver on my back. I reached behind me and growled in frustration. It had indeed fallen out. So, reluctantly I reached for my side pocket and pulled out a pistol. The monkey screamed and jumped at me, flying through the air and reaching for my head. I aimed and shot the little beast in the head, blowing it open. Its mangled body hit the floor.

There was a roar and my eyes shot towards the dog that was following me. It was only a few feet away now, and looking quite angry.

I pointed the pistol at it, firing and hitting it in the chest. The wound did little to help kill it however. It struck out angrily with its right paw and knocked the gun from my hand. I quickly made to grab it. However, the dog was quicker than I thought and was on top of me within seconds. It lurched down at my head, and I put my arm up to block its jaws. They clasped around my arm, going so deep they nearly cracked the bone on the inside. I screamed in pain, trying to push it back. Its fangs went deeper and started to rip most of the flesh off. It hurt so bad, and I wanted to pull it out but it was stuck in the long teeth of the creature.

"_Ice! Ice, where the fuck are you?_" Reaper's distressed voice shouted over the com.

_Oh thank God! _

"I'm just down the hall from Carmack's office! There's three demons here, and they all want me dead!" I screamed.

"_Hold on, I'm coming!_" He complied.

_Hold on? You try keeping this lion-canine away with your fucking arm! I don't think my arm is __**that**__ attached to me!_

I felt the bone in my arm crack, and I screamed in pain again. My hand reached for the side pocket of my pants, gripping a knife and pulling it out. With a shout I jabbed it into the dog's stomach, pulling it up to slice open its entails until they fell out all over me.

The dog howled, and after a few seconds it went still, collapsing on top of me. My arm was still clenched in its jaws, and covered in so much blood it shined red all over. The other dog that had been fighting the scientist now turned to the commotion down the hall. The scientist was harshly wounded on the floor, unable to move at the moment. The dog gave a satisfied growl when it saw its dead adversary on top of a trapped prey. It walked down the corridor and stood on top of the dead dog, looking down at me with hungry eyes.

I made a desperate attempt to get my arm out of the dog's jaws so I could defend myself, but it wouldn't be in time. The dog was already rearing back to make another lurch at my head. So, I closed my eyes and turned my head away, bracing for the sharp fangs to puncture my face.

Instead of teeth, however, I felt blood. I looked up and the dog was gone, but the howls and roars told me that the scientist was fighting it once again. That gave me some time.

I looked at my arm and tried to pry open the dog's jaws. It couldn't be done with one hand. I had to think of another way. The first thought that came to mind was my knife. It was a little extreme, but it had to be done to get my arm out. I plunged the knife into the dog's snout and started cutting it off. Blood spattered everywhere, and I could taste it in my mouth. The blade cut through, and broke the bone on the inside. Already it was starting to sag and come off.

The top jaw was now completely cut from the head. That was all that needed to be done. With my one free hand I pulled the teeth from my arm with a groan, and then tore it from the bottom jaw. As quick as I could, I slid out from under the dog and sat up, looking around for my rifle, or any sort of gun. There was nothing in sight.

Something then crashed on top of me and I fell flat on the floor. On top of me was the scientist, with its chest ripped open, face deeply scratched, and throat sliced so deep the head was almost separated from the body. It was dead… and heavy.

_Great, after all my attempts to get away from this fucking brawl and I'm right back where I started!_

The other dog gave another pleased growl when it saw both its adversaries dead, and its prey still trapped. It jumped up onto the dead scientist and looked down at me. My eyes widened. It barred its teeth and reared its head back to attack my head once again. I closed my eyes and braced for the fangs.

One second later, I heard a gunshot. The dog whined repeatedly and fell off of me to the floor. I opened my eyes and looked toward where the shot came from. It was Reaper.

There was an angry snarl and the dog raised itself, staring and him in fury. There was a large chunk of flesh missing from its back where the bullet had hit it. Reaper fired another shot, hitting it in the chest, but it didn't kill the creature. The dog snarled again and leaped at him.

_Shit!_

Reaper was tackled to the ground, and I heard him shout in pain as its claws drove into his chest. That got me going. With as much strength that I had left, I pushed the body of the scientist up and off of me. Then, with knife in hand, I ran at the dog and jumped onto its back, plunging the blade into its shoulder.

It reared its head and howled again, getting off Reaper and trying to buck me off. I used the knife to stay on by driving it deeper into its body. It ran in circles, but I remained on, my nails gripping its skin, and my legs squeezing its sides tightly. Reaper stood and raised his rifle, pointing at the dog. He couldn't shoot however, because it was too much of a risk that he'd hit me.

The creature then slammed its side against the wall, trying to hurt me enough to loosen my grip, but I just slid to the opposite side a little so that I wouldn't hit it. Since that didn't work, it decided on a final attempt to get me off. So, it flipped itself forward, landing on its back and crushing me beneath it. I silently yelled in pain, because the air was pushed out of me, temporarily disabling me to speak.

It rolled off of me and turned back to Reaper, who had shot it again many times. Blood pouring from its many wounds, it clumsily ran at him. While my lungs recovered, I looked around for my pistol. It was a few feet to my right, and so I crawled to reach for it.

Reaper fired at the dog many times, but it refused to die. His eyes widened when it continued to advance, its mouth wide open for the kill. Then his clip ran out, and he had to take a few seconds to pop another one in. He was quickly backing up during the procedure, looking up at the dog as it neared.

I had the pistol in my hand. From the laying position on the floor, I carefully aimed it at the dog that was about to attack Reaper. I couldn't afford to miss this shot. If I did, Reaper could die. There was no way I was going to let that happen.

_The one time when I need my sniper skills in this place, and my sniper rifle has disappeared. I sure hope this pistol is accurate. _

All distractions were ignored by my senses. They were focusing on this one shot. The target was its head, because that was pretty much the only place that hadn't been hit yet. So I assumed that was the kill spot.

The dog was only feet away from Reaper now, and about to pounce on him. I had to do it now. The trigger clicked, and the bang sounded as the bullet left the barrel. After that, there was almost complete silence. The dog was lying dead on the ground in front of Reaper, and he was looking quite white in the face.

I gave a sigh of relief and dropped the pistol, resting my head on the grate floor. My body still hurt from when the dog had crushed me, and the other two creatures before. Reaper was rushing toward me. I could hear the clang of his boots. His hand was on my back and the other under me to help me sit up. I was gasping for breath.

"Can you walk?" He asked, pulling me to my feet and putting my arm around his neck for support.

"I just had two dogs the sizes of horses and one of those mutated scientists fall on top of me. Not to mention a fucking monkey tackled me to the ground. What do you think?" I said icily.

"Why did you run off on your own like that? You're lucky I got through the Ark in time to hear your scream over the com. You scared me Ice." He scolded.

"Well, I scare me too. Sorry. I ran into those dogs. I was about to get away from them when our little missing scientist here jumped out and slashed me across the face. Then I had three monsters to deal with. That hurt like hell. I sure hope I don't have to do that again." I groaned, holding my stomach.

"Don't worry, you won't be. You're coming back with me to the Ark." He ordered more than stated. He started to walk down the hall, my arm still over his shoulder, when I yanked it away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Since when did I need a dad to tell me what to do?" I exclaimed, leaning on the wall for support.

"You just nearly got killed for the _second_ time! I'm not letting you out of my sight again." He answered, taking a step forward to take my arm again.

"Excuse me, but I never even asked you to save my life!" I said, pulling my arm away.

"Since when have I needed permission to save you? I thought you might be a little more grateful, but it seems you don't care if I risk my ass to save yours." He argued.

"You didn't _have_ to risk your ass to save mine! I never wanted you to!" I argued back.

He took another step towards me till he was inches from my face.

"Why? Why didn't you want me to, huh?" He shouted.

I paused, looking straight back into his angry eyes with mine. How did this happen? Why were we fighting? We never fought before. Why… why didn't I want him to save me? Why? I pondered for the answer for about a minute, when I realized what it was. It wasn't something I wanted to tell him though. At least… not now.

"Maybe because I didn't want you dying for me." I answered in his face.

"Why?" He asked again.

"Because! Just because! Ok? Is it so hard to understand that I don't want a friend dying for me?" I shouted.

He let out a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes, breathing softly to calm himself. When he opened his eyes again a few minutes later I saw the difference in them. He was much calmer now, and it made me calmer too for some reason.

"Is that all your blood?" He asked in concern, pointing his finger randomly at my body.

I looked down at myself. My shirt and pants were drenched with blood, my arm was covered in it, I felt lots on my face, and even still tasted it in my mouth. I shrugged.

"I guess its pretty accurate when I say half is mine, half is theirs." I said, pointing to the monsters.

He sighed and put his hand on my face, examining it and wiping the blood from it with his thumb.

"They tore you up really bad." He said. "Your clothes look like they're about to fall off they've been ripped up so bad."

"You're not aloud to look." I joked, quirking an eyebrow and looking up at him. He chuckled, then took his rifle off and started to remove his bullet-proof vest. When it was off, I saw the blood on his chest from where the dog had sunk its claws into his body. My eyes were fixed on the wounds, so I didn't notice him handing the vest to me. He nudged me with it, and I took it in my hands.

I looked at the vest for a moment. "This won't be much use here Reaper." I stated.

"It's to cover you up." He laughed. "Plus you feel cold. It's warm already so that might help."

I had to openly smile at that. It was like he just landed me a jacket on a cold night. I slipped on the vest, and it indeed was quite warm.

"Does that hurt much?" I asked, pointing to his chest. He looked down at the wounds and stared for a while.

"Just some annoying stinging." He answered.

"Those should be cleaned. Who knows what was on that thing's claws." I said, reaching into a pocket on the back of the vest and pulling out a med kit, which all of us had stored there. "Sit down and lean against the wall. Unbutton your shirt."

He smiled. "Couldn't wait to get my shirt off, huh?" He teased.

I gave him a look. "Sit down."

He did so and began undoing his shirt, pulling it apart to reveal the four bleeding wounds on either side of his chest. I kneeled down and opened the med kit, pulling out a bottle of alcohol. Just looking at it made him wince.

"Shit. This is gonna hurt like hell." He groaned.

"No, fighting those three monsters by yourself hurts like hell. This is nothing." I said to that, turning the lid and pulling it off.

"Its still gonna sting." He said, grabbing the nearest thing, which was a gas pipe, so he could squeeze something to help ease the pain.

"Don't be such a baby." I took a cloth and poured the alcohol on it, then scooted in closer to him, putting the cloth on a wound to the left of his chest. He hissed in pain and bit his bottom lip, squeezing the pipe at the same time. I wiped it thoroughly, and did the same to the others beside it.

"You never told me why you ran off." He then said.

"That's not a good subject to be talking about while I'm tending to your wounds, Reaper." I warned in a joking manner.

"You're probably right." He said.

"So, what was going on, on the other side of the Ark?" I asked, trying to strike a different conversation.

"Everyone was dead. Sarge shot them all." He answered with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Why? Not all of them can be infected." I said in shock.

"How do you know that? That's what Sam told me. She said that those monsters were choosing, that it had something to do with good and evil."

"I figured it out on my own, and she's right, it does have something to do with good and evil. Only it's a little more than just an infection. Those wounds are more like marks than carry-on points." I said.

"Marks for what?"

"You remember the mist that went into me earlier?"

"Yeah."

"It was a demon. When I told Sam that they had opened a gateway to Hell, I wasn't kidding. The marks are for the demons, so they know who they can posses. It all started with the C24. A particularly powerful demon is drawn to the power of the extra chromosomes, so it tries to take that power. It can't literally do that though, because the power is a physical feature, which a spiritual thing like a demon can't touch. So, it possesses the soul that holds it. That's where the good and evil thing comes in. The eviler you are, the weaker you are against it, while goodness makes you stronger."

Reaper was speechless for a few seconds, trying to process the information. He didn't know that all this was _that _extreme. So… everything came down to demons. This all started because of the C24 and being possessed. It explains why it's possible for the infected to turn back, because being spiritually possessed is reversible.

"It makes a lot of sense." He said.

"Once I saw the video of my brother, all the pieces to the puzzle just fell in place. That's why I ran off. I went to look for him, so I could help change him back. I wasn't sure if it was him or the scientist that had gone through the Ark. Now I know. He's on the other side, and infecting everybody."

There was a few moments of silence between us. Then I remembered Sam, and what happened about an hour ago now.

"How's your sister?" I asked, almost in a shy way. I wasn't necessarily proud of what I did. My anger took control, which I try to avoid doing because I always go over the edge a little. Once I calmed down and thought over the events that happened, I realized that she was only there to protect the information. She wasn't part of the scientists gathering it. She had absolutely no part in my brother's barbaric trial of mutation. Therefore my anger should have been saved for the scientists and not her.

"She'll be fine." He answered, trying to make this conversation short because he knew I wasn't happy about it.

"I didn't do any… permanent damage did I?"

"No. She'll be fine Ice. Trust me, when we were kids she had worse." He comforted.

I chuckled. "What on Earth did you guys do when you were kids?"

"Kid stuff. We did some stupid things and got hurt in the process. No different than anyone else."

"Sounds like me and my brother when we were little. I remember when I was in about third grade, and this was back when my brother was a scrawny little stick. After school when we walked home, these three boys would attack him and beat him up. Of course, being the older sister and one that would find any excuse to get into a fist fight, I jumped in. Three boys against one girl don't work out so well. I got a black eye and the breath knocked out of me. After that I joined marshal arts, then beat the shit out of them a few months later."

"Sounds like something you would do." He laughed.

"Yeah, guess I haven't changed over the years. The biggest trouble we got into was a brawl in a bar when I was fifteen. I got a dislocated shoulder, bloody nose, and a sprained wrist out of that one. My brother had a little worse, but he was tougher by then, so he could actually fight."

"You got in a brawl when you were fifteen?" He asked in shock.

"Don't look so surprised. If you had known me then, then it wouldn't have been much of a shock."

"I know you now, but being involved in that stuff at fifteen, when you're a girl… I just never thought it could happen."

"Don't be sexist. A girl can kick more ass than a guy in many ways." I stated.

He chuckled. "Believe me, I know."

"That's because you were smart and stayed on the sidelines." I laughed.

"Nothing wrong with that." He defended.

"Nope, nothing wrong with being a smart ass all the time." I said to that.

"Hey, lately you've been the smart ass, and I'm the one trying to save it." He said as a comeback.

"Yeah, and look where your un-smart-assedness mixed with common male stupidity got you." I stated, purposely putting pressure on one of his wounds to make a point, which made him hiss in pain.

"You're lucky for my un-smart-assedness and common male stupidity, because without it you would probably be dead. Your body can only heal to a certain extent, so don't think you can start jumping into a lion's den with nothing but your bare hands and think you're gonna get out with all your limbs accounted for." He joked.

"Neh, neh, neh. _Now_ you're being a smart ass."

Once I finished cleaning all his wounds, I folded the cloth to a dry side and wiped the blood that had traveled down his chest. His muscles visibly tensed when I did this, which didn't help me. I had the feeling he was enjoying it, not because he was ticklish. I then wiped the area around the wounds clean.

"The bleeding stopped. You should be alright." I said, starting to put the things away.

"You're not gonna kiss it and make it better?" He asked in a pouting manner.

I smiled and said to that, "You're a big boy. I'm sure you'll survive."

"If I had known you were looking I would have put on a better show." He joked.

I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. "Now you're starting to sound like Portman. Why all of a sudden are you playing around with me?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up." He said, then his voice changed to a slightly more serious one. "You were really… upset before."

"Well, that's what happens." I said solemnly. "Thanks for putting forth the effort. I appreciate it." He was disappointed that the atmosphere wasn't as cheery as it was a few seconds ago. So, he reached into one of the pockets of the vest and pulled out a bandana, licking it and starting to clean the blood off my face. I scrunched my face up and leaned away from it slightly.

"Ew, saliva!" I exclaimed in a childlike tone.

"You know you like it." He responded with a smile.

"Yuck! Stop licking my face!" I laughed.

"Alright, alright!" He took the bandana from my face. I grinned and took it from his hand, wiping my face on it. When I looked at it, it was almost completely red with blood.

"Whoa, didn't know it was that much." I muttered. "Is that better?" I asked.

"Wait, you missed a spot here… and here… and here… then there…" He continued to poke me in the face.

I slapped his hand away in annoyance. Then wiped my face again, using the other side of the rag.

"How about now?" I asked.

"You're still beautiful." He answered.

I stopped, and he did the same, realizing what he had just said. _He just called me beautiful. Reaper… just called me… beautiful. _I could tell he was quite embarrassed by his words.

"Thank you." I said.

It appeared to help him. After a few minutes of silence he came up with the courage to speak again. It was a completely different subject though.

"I swear there's something about these monsters that makes them wanna kill you so bad." He chuckled, which just barely made me smile. The atmosphere turned from thick and uncomfortable to bearable. I laughed briefly.

His hand then came up to my face again, tucking the stray strands of my bangs behind my ears.

"Don't run off like that again, ok?" He said quietly and in a serious tone. My eyes met his, and I saw the concern he had for me written all over his face. It made me smile on the inside. He really cared about me. I only hoped that it wasn't the kind of brotherly care that he felt. It's hard, because my brother speaks and touches me like that. When he's concerned for me, or anything else, he likes to hold me just like Reaper had done a few hours ago. Then he always caressed my face or fixed my hair. You know, now that I think about it, Reaper has been as intimate with me as my own brother and I haven't noticed. If anyone else had done it, I would have pushed them off right away. Why didn't I care when Reaper wanted to hold me, or when he kissed me on the head, or just now when he was caressing my face, and messing with my hair? Do I really like him… that much? No one, other than family, has ever been that close to me.

"I'll try." I answered to his question. He smiled.

"Good." His fingers lightly brushed against my face, and he continued to look me in the eyes. Why wouldn't he stop staring at me? He was making me blush, and I hoped he didn't notice through the blood and darkness of the hall. Then I was suddenly aware of how close to me he was. We were so close I could feel the warmth from his body. For a brief moment I looked at his eyes, but looked back down when he was staring back.

He noticed my discomfort, and removed his hand from my face in reaction. There was a moment of silence, when I remembered something he said earlier, when we were arguing.

"Thanks for saving me Reaper. I do appreciate it, and I _am_ grateful that you risked your ass to save mine. So… thanks." I said. _That's it? Come on Kyra, you know he deserves more than that. That was the second time he saved your life, and all he gets in return is a fucking 'thank you'? No one is in range of the coms, and as far as you know you're all alone in this facility now. Give him a fucking kiss!_

A few seconds after my words, I leaned in a kissed his cheek. He had turned his head very slightly, thinking I was coming in to meet with his lips, but that hope was crushed. His heart sunk when he missed my lips, but it jumped back up when he felt them on his skin. I made it last a decent amount of time, so it wasn't just a peck.

He curved his lips to a smile. The words didn't matter to him much. He didn't give a shit whether I was grateful or not, only that he could save me. My thanks was just a bonus.

"You're welcome." He said quietly, still quite flustered from the brief kiss.

_What the fuck is your problem woman? You kissed his cheek? You should have given him a proper long and tender one on the lips! That man has done too much for you for a small peck on the cheek!_

I smothered my thoughts to shut them up. They were right, and I wouldn't mind kissing him like that. However, in truth, I'm scared to death of rejection. Even though he would do it in a polite and gentle way, it would still discourage me. If he wanted a kiss, then he'd have to make the move.

"We should get back through the Ark now." He said. "Sarge has probably killed half the population by now."

"I don't care about that. All I wanna do is find my brother." I stated.

"We'll find him, but I'm sure if the change was that easy, then he would have done it by now. How do you think you can help him?" He said.

"I'll know when I find him." I answered, leaning down and picking up my pistol. "Let's go. Somebody has to clean up this mess." I stepped over the dead monsters and started down the hall. Reaper followed, and we headed back for the Ark. I knew things were going to get tough now. Sarge was cracking, and I could tell it from a mile away. Sooner or later, the squad is going to turn on him, and I know how he is about the 'rules'. He'd shoot every one of us for mutiny, and then he won't have any soldiers left. Of course, he won't realize that until he's killed us all. That's why I'm sticking to my own obligations from now on, and Sarge can threaten to shoot me all he wants, but he's gonna die first.

_This was the longest drive of my life. My dad had stopped crying, and he was now sitting deathly quiet beside me. Will was the same. I felt like I was the only one here who had no idea what was going on. Dad obviously didn't have the heart to tell it to my face. _

_I kept my attention on the trees lining the road outside the window. We were driving along the river now, and it was on the right side of the car. I was watching the left. _

_Soon, the car swerved to the right, parking on the side of the road. Blinking lights lit the concrete, and I leaned to look out the front window. There was an ambulance in front of us. Other blinking lights told me that there were either police cars or more ambulances in front of that one. _

_The policeman got out and opened my door. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I stepped out, my dad coming behind me. Will got out on the other side. Then the officer led the three of us away from the cars and towards the river. I noticed we were following car tracks. Really… swerved… car tracks. _

_The officer suddenly stopped in front of me, then looked towards my dad. _

"_You don't have long." He said to him in a solemn tone. My father nodded and took the flashlight from the man's hand. He then took my hand, and started to walk forward. There were other flashlights ahead, and people gathered around… what looked like from here… a car. Half of it was in the frozen river, meaning half of it was probably filled with water. I wondered how it stayed in that position on the bank. Something must be holding it there. Once we got closer, I recognized the car._

_It was ours. _


	10. Chapter 10

"_Most of the car is filled with water. Her head is above it, so she can breathe. However, we can't get her out of the vehicle without shifting its position, and… unfortunately we don't have the sort of machinery to pull it out of the river. The roots on the bank are holding the car back, but they won't hold for long. You only have five or ten minutes before her heart stops, for she's been in the river for a long time now. I'm terribly sorry for this-"_

_The voice of the doctor faded into quiet muffles as I let go of my dad's hand and took steps toward the car. My eyes were wet and glassy with tears, but none had fallen down my cheek yet. The cold wind froze them before they could. _

_Dad noticed me walking off and was about to follow in protest, but knew that I was old enough to handle this. It would only anger me if he tried to keep me from seeing my mother before she died. For a small child, my mother's theme of untimely death would seem nightmarish, but I was mature enough to know the reality of it. _

_The frozen snow cracked and crumbled under my slow steps. Overhead, it seemed the trees had made it a task to make as little sound as possible under the blowing wind. As if they had souls, they were lowering their voices so that my voice may be heard when I spoke. _

_People surrounding the car heard me coming, and cleared away so that I could reach the front of the left side. I could see the window of the driver's seat was shattered, and the windshield cracked. It was the windshield that kept the water from flowing into the car and drowning my mother on the inside. Taking a few shaky breaths, I kneeled down on the bank and lowered my head to peak into the vehicle. My breath hitched though, when I saw the condition of my mother._

_She was white as a ghost, her lips almost as blue as the day sky. Her breaths were shaky and accelerated, making her look like she was having a seizure, but I knew it was because of the cold. When she sensed my presence she turned her head towards me, pulling as much of a smile as her numb muscles would allow. _

"_H-hey sweetie." She cracked in a husky voice. _

"_Mom." I choked through the lump rising in my throat, causing more tears to fill my eyes. _

_When my face twisted in grief, and I began to cry at the site of her condition, she looked at me with her motherly love._

"_D-d-don't cry…Kyra. It… isn't… t-the end of…" She coughed, and it sounded painful. "… the world."_

"_Mom." I said again in a pleading tone, voice ragged._

"_It's ok." She said in a raspy voice._

"_You're freezing to death Mom. It's not ok." I argued, reaching into the car and under the ice cold water to find her hand. "Oh Jesus." I cursed in horror when I realized the temperature she was sitting in. I managed to find her hand, and held it as tightly as my strength would allow, ignoring the cold._

"_It's not as… bad as it s-seems. I can b-barely feel the… cold anymore. A-at least... it will be p-painless." She said shakily. I couldn't find any words to say, and probably wouldn't be able to speak them if I did. It was always hard for me to speak when I was crying. Then her face went serious, and her eyes caught mine._

"_I need you… t-to listen to me… Kyra." She said. I nodded and wiped my face with my sleeve, sniffing and taking in deep breaths to calm the tears. "You know… h-how sensitive… your brother is. I need you to take c-care of him. You're mature enough… to handle t-this. He's not… ready. I want you t… to be there for him. Do you understand?" She asked, squeezing my hand._

"_Yes Mom." I answered, rubbing her hand in assurance. She smiled at my answer and her eyes turned soft._

"_Good. I love you sweetheart. Life… is so much h-harder than you… think. This is only the start… of the hard things you must accept. Sometimes l-life is more unfair than usual. It's up to you… to face those things… and protect t-the ones you love. Remember… these h-hardships make… you stronger. Eventually… you'll live a happy… and p-peaceful life… because many things… won't seem so hard anymore. Look after your b-brother for me Kyra. He… needs you… more than you k-know."_

"_I'll do that Mom. I'll take care of him the best I can. I promise. You can count on me." I assured her, wanting her to know that I meant every word I said to her before she died. _

"_I know." She breathed happily. _

_I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed her softly. _

"_I love you Mom. I love you so much. I swear I'll do my best to make you proud, because I know I haven't been the best of daughters lately." I told her anxiously._

"_I've always… been proud of you." She said with an assuring smile. "Go after your dreams Kyra. I don't c-care… what you do. Just do what you… wish to do the most. You're a determined… gal. Whatever it is you w-want… I know you'll get it. J-just make sure… it's for the r-right reasons."_

"_I'll do that. Don't you worry about a thing Mom. I promise I'll take care of everything." The tears were flooding back to my eyes. I saw that she was fading, because the light was being drawn from her eyes. They were turning dark. "No." I whispered hoarsely. _

"_Tell your b-brother… and your father… t-that I love them." She whispered in a faraway tone. "I love you."_

"_No. No Mom, don't leave me! Please. __No no no…don't go!" __I pleaded, tears cascading down my cheek. "Mom! Mommy! D… don't leave…"_

_She closed her eyes, letting out the air from her lungs in acceptance. Her head leaned back on the seat, and a few seconds later the grip of her hand loosened on mine completely. Wails escaped my throat in ragged tones, and I kept calling for her, never letting go of her hand._

_A few seconds later arms wrapped around my body and forcefully, but gently pulled me away. I let go of my mother's hand and held onto the arms holding me. They set me down and turned me around, pulling me into an embrace. I found that it was my dad, and he held me tightly while I soaked his jacket with tears. Will was staring at the car with teary eyes. Then he came over and joined Dad and I as we all held each other. I put an arm around him and pulled him extra tightly to me, making sure as much comfort was passed through the embrace as could be given. I would make sure I held the promise I had given my mother for as long as I lived. No matter what it will take. _

_123456789123456789123456789_

_The details of what happened to one of the small town's few neighbors spread very quickly. People came to our front door to share their grief and sympathy. I stayed locked up in my room, only coming out to use the bathroom or eat. My friends came over to try and comfort me, but my dad turned them away, telling them I didn't want to talk to anybody right now. _

_For days I never went to school, and the teachers weren't concerned at all. They knew what I must be going through, and decided to just leave it alone for now. However, my English teacher called Dad, asking him to possibly have me go see the councilor, because she was concerned for my mental health. Dad thanked her for her concern, but said I refused to do anything of the sort. __**I can make it through on my own. Mom said life is hard, and it makes you stronger. Can't get stronger if I have help carrying the load. I want to do this by myself. **_

_My brother went through the days in silence. Unlike me, he kept with his daily routines instead of staying in his room. Even the boys who bullied and teased him at school didn't have the heart to torment him. They knew that he was in enough torture as it was, so they left him alone. Even his friends stayed away, fearing that if they try to talk to him that they would say the wrong things and just make it all worse. He didn't seem to care much, or at least he didn't show that he cared. _

_Dad seemed to be taking Mom's death much better than my brother and I. Of course, he's lost people he loved in the past, and knows how to deal with it better. He accepted the pity and comfort of other people, and took into consideration the things they advised him to do in order to help with the pain. Some people even offered money or gifts, but he always kindly turned them away, and accepted no charity given. _

_So this was it. This was how it felt to loose somebody you loved, and realize for the first time that… they're never coming back. That truth hit me harder than I ever dreamt it could. It was difficult to deal with, and so much more different than knowing a relative has a disease that will eventually end their life. My grandmother had a liver disease, and if it was in its third stages then she would die. I remember crying for hours, but a few weeks later found out she would be ok. __**Losing**__ someone so suddenly, and without warning… can so easily break you if you aren't strong. I'm glad I got to speak with my mother before she died, so she could give me what wisdom she could. _

_I tried to hold onto some of the things she had, like her jewelry. She always wore this gold necklace that her father gave to her before he died. When I was a baby she said I used to play with it while she nursed me. I still remember her lullabies. She had such a nice voice, and she would sing stories. My mother was a storyteller, and she told her stories through song like they used to do hundreds of years ago. She sang fantasies, of exotic creatures and heroic adventures. And she never ran out of stories. Imagination has no limits, and she always kept her mind wide open. That's what she used to tell me, and I never understood it. I never tried to. I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but it wasn't. Nothing she said was nonsense, I was just too young to make sense of it all. She was a very wise woman. But… now, she won't be here to share any more of that wisdom with me. Now I wished I had paid more attention to what she said. _

_Lesson learned: live every day like it's your last. I've heard that said too many times, and I never took it seriously because I never believed anything bad would happen. At least, nothing really bad. Common thoughts of a naïve youngster. You want to believe that the world is a good place, and all those things you see on TV are just people who want to think that it's a bad place. Nobody kills in cold blood! Who does that? Or maybe: Wars aren't real. Why would they want to fight over that stupid piece of land? That's stupid._

_Another lesson learned: not everyone has an open mind. Maybe if everyone was like my mother, there wouldn't be stupid fights over stupid things. Maybe people will make smarter choices about even the smallest things. Like pregnancy. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't have sex. Period. Abstinence is the best policy. And smoking. It's bad for you, and it's bad for the people around you, so don't do it. If you don't start then you can't stop._

_My mother was too good of a person to have this happen to her. Why couldn't she die instantly in the crash? Why did it have to run into the river so she could slowly freeze to death? Who on Earth deserves that? My mother didn't. _

"_My mom was a good person!" I screamed into my wet pillow. "She was a good person." I whispered._

_Things won't be the same. It will take a while, but I'll get used to the fact that she won't be there when I need her most. She was my best friend. I could share my secrets with her, expect to have her shoulder right there when I needed to cry, ask for advice when things just weren't going right. You're not supposed to lose someone like that. It's just not right, because they're meant to help you. They're the heroes in your life. Heroes never die, right? They never do in the stories, so why does this have to be any different. Why can't the world be like the stories? Wouldn't it be a better place? _

_I wondered if God even cared about what He was doing to me. He's the master of all things, right? Why did He let my mother die like that? Does He care that I had to watch her slip away right before my eyes, listening to her struggle with her last words through shivers? Does He even care about me?_

_Well, God sure must have cared. The next day, He sent my angel-of-a-brother to my room, and he sat down next to me on my bed. While I wept, he put an arm around me, saying things like, "She wouldn't want you doing this." "She loved us… and I know it isn't fair that she's gone." "We'll make it through Kyra. I love you, so I'm gonna stick by your side, and you, me, and Dad are gonna pull through."_

_It helped, and it gave me enough strength to go to school in the morning. Since then, we've stuck together like glue. We inspired each other, took care of each other, and for the first time… I felt like a big sister; because __**I **__was taking care of him. Before I never saw it as a responsibility, but as a chore, I guess. Now, taking care of my little brother is the highest responsibility I will ever have, and one that I will __**never**__ give up. I promised my mother that, and I'm damn well keeping it. Even if my life depended on it… and I had to stomp through Hell to do it, I refuse to let my brother die before me. _

I was standing in front of the Ark, gazing into the liquid structure with a golden necklace in my hand. It was my mother's, and I kept it in my gym short pocket. That memory just came back to me without warning. It reminded me of my promise to my mother. Things haven't changed since that snowy day when I got home. I'm still losing family, and I don't want to lose any more. It's hard to think about that, because you know you'll be alone, without a mother, father, or sibling. My brother's all I have left. To rescue him, I'll have to stray from my position as a Marine. Already I've abandoned the squad once, and put not only a comrade, but a close friend in danger by doing so. I needed to watch myself. I don't want to be responsible for the death of one of my own, especially if I care about them, like Duke and Reaper. _Especially_ Reaper. But… family has always come first.

Even if it means me dying, I won't leave this place until my brother is released from that demon's grasp. That's a steel promise.

My brow narrowed. Then, without a word, I took a step towards the Ark and leaned forward, getting sucked in. My body felt compacted once again, and it moved at a fast speed towards Earth.

I flew out the other side and rolled, standing upright and erecting the pistol. Instantly voices came to my ears from the right, and I turned. There was Sarge, Destroyer, and Sam, and it seemed she was trying to convince Sarge that not everyone was infected. I lowered the pistol and stood up straight. Reaper then burst through behind me, standing and erecting his gun. He noticed the voices too and turned, then lowered his weapon like me.

Our presence was quickly noticed, and when Sarge's eyes fell on me, I saw fury written all over his face. He was about to pop a cork on me, and I wasn't worried in the least. Ever since I changed, I've been getting a little too big for my breeches. Sarge didn't faze me as much for example, with his harsh voice and intimidating appearance. Of course, he's no where near as dangerous or intimidating as a demon. At least, not to me.

He stormed over to me. I stood there with a straight back, arms hanging from my sides sternly, and my face fixed in the most apathetic look I could muster. My lack of emotional reaction to his usually intimidating anger just made him even angrier. When he stopped in front of me, looking down at my smaller figure, he hit me hard across the face. I took a few steps back at the blow, flexing my jaw and turning back to him.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you were doing?" He shouted, spraying spit on my face.

"Killing monsters." I said sarcastically. "Look at me! What do you think I was doing?" I then shouted back, presenting my blood soaked clothes.

He hit me again.

"Don't speak to me in that disrespectful tone soldier! You disobeyed an order! Do it again… and I'll kill you!"

I took a step forward to show I wasn't fazed by his blows. Everyone was watching me with wide eyes, because I was talking back to Sarge. No one ever talked back to Sarge, unless you had a death wish.

"I survived wounds from three monsters. I don't think a bullet would make any difference. Where the fuck do you think all this blood came from?" I said slyly.

"I don't give a shit _what_ you are! You're still an RRTS soldier and I expected a _hell _of a lot more out of you than this, Ice! You are part of a _team_, not your own little world!"

"So take me off the team! I don't care anymore! I don't even care about this mission anymore! _My _mission is to save my brother, and anyone in this facility who can be saved! Things have gotten out of control Sarge! At this point we can't really do anything about the Hell running around this base! I think we should blow this place up, destroy the Ark, and get to the surface!"

"You don't call the shots _soldier_, _I_ do! A Marine doesn't let personal matters affect their performance in a mission! I figured you might know that!" He shouted, pointing a strong finger at my chest.

"Personal? How _personal _do you think this is? My _brother_ was mutated into a monster! How do you expect anyone not to let THAT interfere with a mission, especially when the mission is to wipe out the threat, which just so happens to be my brother right now?"

He didn't have an answer to that. Who would? I had a point, and he didn't have anything to knock it down. It only got him more pissed though.

"Let's evacuate the uninfected and blow this place." I insisted.

"We have orders to protect this facility." He said menacingly.

"Fuck the orders! What are they gonna do, shoot us for getting rid of a facility we can't get back?"

"Orders are orders." He fought.

"We don't have orders to kill innocent people! Not all of them are infected!" I shouted angrily.

"We have to stop anything from getting to the surface by any… means… necessary!" He shouted back, a tone of finality in his voice. The tension was rising, and I saw that Sarge was about ready to hit me again.

Then I heard the hum of a machine coming from the corridor leading into the Ark room. When I looked, there was Pinky, rolling in on his little wheelie legs, Duke behind him.

"Found this little chicken shit hiding under a pile of dead bodies." Duke said, sounding a little pissed, probably because he had to deal with the little dip-shit all the way here.

"Am I glad to see you guys." Pinky announced in relief. "That thing cut right through the door. I tried to use the grenade but it came at me too fast." He explained, while Sam was at his side and checking his neck. "It followed me through the Ark and started to kill everybody. It was horrible."

"Don't make excuses you coward. You had plenty of time to throw that grenade, it only takes two seconds." I spat. That's when Duke saw me, and his eyes went wide.

"What the fuck happened to you Ice?" He said in shock, looking at my clothes.

"Ran into a few dogs." I answered.

"_Dogs_ did that to you?" He walked over to me, then saw Reaper and the blood on his suit.

"What about you man? You get caught up in it too?" He asked.

"A few scratches." Reaper answered, glancing at me. Sam finished checking Pinky and looked up at Sarge.

"He's clean. There are no wounds on the side of his neck." She stated in a pleading manner.

"I say who's clean, and who's not." Sarge responded, cocking his gun and pointing it at Pinky.

"I mean… it wasn't my fault." Pinky whimpered in defense. "Hey, I'm not a soldier. You shouldn't have left me-"

Before Sarge could shoot however, Kid's voice rang out just in time. There was a certain hint of excitement in his voice.

"Sarge." He said, taking his gun off his shoulder. "There's a store room with like, twenty people holed up inside it. We've got to do something."

"Your orders were to clear that sector, is it cleared?" Sarge asked, narrowing his eyes at Kid.

"No, I told them to stay put." He answered in disbelief. "They're ok. They're just scared shitless." He defended.

"We kill them all." Sarge stated. "Let God sort them out."

I couldn't believe what I just heard, and was about to say something about it, but Kid took it into his own hands. For a second, I had to admire his courage to talk back to Sarge like this. He really had some guts to do that, especially for someone his size and youth.

"This is wrong. I think…" He stuttered, but Sarge interrupted him.

"Son, you don't think!" He exclaimed. "That's an order. We're in the field soldier." By Sarge's tone I knew he was getting to his last strand which held his temper back.

"Sarge, if nothing's found them…" Reaper began, but Sarge interrupted once again.

"You will obey… the direct order… of your commanding officer." Sarge said menacingly. Kid stood there for a few seconds, looking like he was under quite a bit of stress. I stepped in and stood by him, and his eyes met mine. I gave him a wink of reassurance, with which he turned back to Sarge and shook his head.

"No." He said defiantly.

"Now." Sarge growled, a tone of finality in his voice, this was the last chance he would give, and I could tell.

Kid felt comforted having me stand by his side. It let him know that he had somebody on his side, willing to confront his CO. He put on a determined look, making sure all fear was erased from his face so that Sarge new he was dead serious, and threw his gun to the floor in protest.

"Go to Hell." He said.

I saw Sarge beginning to lift his gun, and instantly I was jolting to step in front of Kid. The bang sounded, and I flew back, Kid catching me. The bullet had hit me just below the neck, causing blood to spew from the wound.

"No!" Reaper yelled, rushing towards me.

"Holy shit!" Duke swore in shock, also coming to my side.

Kid laid me down. The blood stopped as the wound began to seal, and before long I could breathe again. Destroyer was looking at Sarge in disbelief, like he had gone crazy or something.

"I'm ok." I wheezed, looking flustered. I started to sit up, and Duke helped me to stand. Reaper was making sure that Kid still stayed out of harm from Sarge's gun, but also hooking his arm around mine so that I had some leverage while pulling myself up.

"Mutinous insurrection is punishable by death, Ice." Sarge growled, and I met his gaze with my own hard stare, taking in a few needed breaths after the sudden malfunction of my respiratory system.

"I'm well aware of that Sarge." My hand gripped the handle of my pistol.

"I need soldiers! I don't need anybody else, but soldiers!" He shouted in frustration.

"You need balls Sarge. You're too much of a coward to save a bunch of people whose only hope is _us_. They're not even infected for God sa-"

Sarge cocked his gun again, and shot me in the chest twice, then the neck, causing me to fall to the ground again. This time I didn't heal so quickly. My lungs weren't functioning, and my throat was clogged with blood. I couldn't breathe at all, which was throwing my mind into shock. Duke kneeled down at my side, putting pressure on my neck wound in haste. He was shocked out of his mind at what was going on. Sarge just shot Ice four times, and that was shock enough for him. Reaper was looking at me, eyes filled with anger he never thought he had. No one… shoots me… and doesn't get an answer from him.

Reaper stood up quickly and turned to Sarge, fury evident on his face.

"You son of a bitch!" He shouted, charging at his CO so fast that Sarge had no time to defend himself.

Reaper's fist pulled back and landed a crushing punch across Sarge's nose, making the large man stumble back at the blow. He then moved forward and was about to give a breaking kick to Sarge's stomach, but a gun shot sounded and everything ceased.

"Drop the weapons!" Pinky's voice rang out, and everyone's eyes shifted to him.

My wounds were finally closing up, causing my throat to lurch. The blood that had been clogging my throat came up into my mouth, and I spat it out. I could breathe again. I looked at Pinky, and he was pointing my pistol, which I had dropped, at both Reaper and Sarge.

"I mean it! I have no intention of being killed by a madman! Drop the weapons!"

Then I heard it, the dull pound of heavy footsteps, and I looked behind Pinky. Everyone saw it.

_Will_.

Many eyes widened, for it was going straight for the handicapped man holding the gun. Pinky paused and loosened the grip on the pistol, realizing that no one's attention was on him. He heard the pat of drool hit the floor behind him, and had a pitiful look of despair on his face.

"There's something behind me isn't there?" He squeaked.

The monster wrapped its long claws around Pinky's head, causing him to scream, and lifted him into the air. Anyone with a gun, erected it, except for Reaper. He knew it was my brother.

In defense, the creature swung Pinky around, causing people to duck or fly back. The wheel of his wheelchair clipped Reaper across the face, causing him to fly back and hit the floor hard.

The monster then ran towards the corridor, trying to get away with its prize. Instantly I grabbed my pistol and was on my feet and following it within two seconds flat.

"On me Ice! Get the fuck back here!" Sarge ordered, recovering from his blow to the face to focus on the fight.

I wasn't listening. I was going after my brother. Sam helped Reaper to his feet, but he was speeding down the hall before she was. Duke, Kid, and Destroyer were right behind him, with Sarge following in anger. He ordered his men to stay on him, not go running off, and boy… was Reaper going to pay for that blow.

I turned the corner, coming to a nano-wall which was already open. Quickly, I went through it. The hall was darker on the other side, so dark I couldn't see what was coming down the corridor. The power must have been cut off in this sector. That didn't matter to me. I kept going, running into complete darkness almost. My eyes were beginning to adjust, so I could now see the walls of the corridor, and a turn coming up ahead.

"Ice!" I heard Reaper call behind me. They couldn't see me, even with the torches on their rifles. "Ice, come back!"

I ignored his words and kept going down the hall, turning a corner and coming smack into the face of a zombie, causing me to stop so suddenly my feet slid. It made a guttural scream and was about to launch itself at me. There were more growls, and I realized that more were coming, and they were already close. It lurched and knocked me to the ground, causing me to let out a pained gasp. Saliva dripped from its mouth and landed on my cheek, making my face twist in disgust and frantically wiping it away.

"That's just sick." I muttered, then curled my hand into a fist and knocked the zombie across the face. It flew back at the blow and I quickly got up, springing back around the corner to get away from the advancing mutants.

Ahead, I could see Reaper, Sarge, and Destroyer pointing their guns down the corridor, waiting for something to pop up. I came in front of one of their torches, and Destroyer almost got trigger jumpy at my sudden appearance.

"Get back through the wall!" I shouted, going past them and through the wall. Kid, Duke, and Sam were there waiting on the other side. Then I heard gunshots, and Sarge's voice rang out.

"Withdraw! Withdraw behind the nano-wall!" They started to back up, Destroyer coming through first.

"Move!" Duke yelled.

"I can't see. I can't see!" Reaper yelled, the blood from his face had seeped into his eyes, almost blinding him. I went through the wall again, grabbed his arm, and pulled him backwards. He came through, almost falling from the sudden jerk, but I was there to stable him.

"My eyes." He hissed in pain. I took the bandanna from my vest and put it against his eye. He took the cloth himself and furiously wiped his eyes to clear them. I looked towards the nano-wall. Sarge was only now coming through, and he kicked the console that was supposed to close the wall, causing sparks to fly from it. The bullets from our guns still went through.

"The wall's not closing!" I cursed, raising my pistol and shooting to keep the zombies back. Then I heard a scream behind me. It was Sam. I turned and saw Duke with a creature's hands wrapped around his ankles through a grate in the floor. I stepped over and started shooting furiously through the floor, hearing the monster roar in pain. It let go of Duke and he stepped away from it to safety.

"Thanks Ice." He cracked.

"What friends are for." I stated, turning back to the wall to see Sarge on the floor, half his body through it. He was clinging to the side for dear life, but the strength of the zombies was much more than he could handle.

"I'm not supposed to die." He growled, looking up at me as he was pulled through. Then something burst through, one of the fully mutated creatures, knocking Reaper and Destroyer to the floor. Duke, Kid and I combined our fire power to kill it. However, it wouldn't die so easily, and went for Kid. The young Marine began backing up, dodging the claws flying at his face. I cursed at the monster's endurance and threw the pistol down at the floor in frustration. Then I took a long blade from the sheath on the back of my belt, getting a good head start towards the creature, and jumping up onto its back. It stopped in shock, and started flailing its arms above its head to hopefully get a hold of me.

While one arm hung over its shoulder to keep me on, the other went round its neck, slicing the throat as deep as it could go. It wailed in gurgles and swerved back and forth for a few seconds, then hunched itself, falling to the floor dead.

I stood up and smirked at Kid, his face white with shock after he just almost had his head dislodged from his body. Then I heard bullets clink against the wall. It had solidified finally.

"Let's go!" Reaper shouted. He could see now, and in haste we all gathered ourselves, running back down the corridor towards the Ark room. The loss of Sarge had little effect on the squad in the heat of the action.

Behind us the sounds of the zombies were disappearing. They weren't going to get through that nano-wall. It was busted, and closed up for good now. We arrived at the Ark room, and some of the squad dropped to catch their breath.

"You ran off again." Reaper said angrily to me.

"So sue me." I said coldly. "I didn't want to lose my brother's trail."

He shook his head and turned away from me. He wasn't in the mood to argue right now. It never got anywhere anyways, just gave him a headache. It really pissed him off though, that I didn't learn from my mistake of running off last time. The last thing he wanted was to see me taking the knocks I did before, because he didn't want me getting hurt like that. He had hoped that him risking his life for me would strike some sense into my head, but what happened just now has proved that a failure. What would it take?

I noticed Reaper run his hand through his hair and sound a low growl in frustration. He balled a fist and was about to hit the wall, but stopped halfway and instead put it against his mouth, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths once again to calm himself. For a moment I stared at him, feeling like a kid who knew they were putting heavy frustration upon their parent. I shouldn't have run off again, and shouldn't have spoken to him like that. He's only trying to keep me from getting hurt again, so he doesn't deserve to be spoken to in the cold manner that I did. I'll have to apologize later, when we get time alone. I looked away from him and towards Kid, who was resting.

"Kid, where did you say you found those people?" I asked. He looked up from his sitting position on the floor, taking in breaths.

"The eastern sector." He answered.

"Good, we should be able to get to them." I said to myself

"You mean we're going after them?" Kid asked in excited disbelief.

"Yep. I have a plan you guys." I said loudly, and the whole squad looked at me, besides Reaper. I didn't want him to anyways, for it would only cause me discomfort. He appeared to be listening though. I looked directly at Destroyer, the man with all the big guns.

"Destroyer… you got any charges?" I asked. He just gave a broad grin in my direction, and I took that as a great big 'yes'.


	11. Chapter 11

The squad stood in a circle around the pile of bombs and charges each of us had contributed to. I stepped forward and leaned down, examining the condition of the contents.

"Alright. Here's the plan." I began. "We know that each of these charges can destroy an area about the size of this Ark room. Each sector is about the size of this room, with up to two or three levels each. If we set a charge on the bottom floor of each sector, and a few bombs on the floors above it, then set it off, it will start a chain reaction going up every floor. However, there are four sectors, and we only have three charges. One of them will have to be blown manually with bombs, since we have plenty of those." I explained, making eye contact with a few of my comrades. "That sector should be the eastern one. Once we get those people out of there, we'll set some bombs, start the timers, and get out as quick as we can. From there on, we protect the civilians till we get to the elevator, and start the count down for the charges. By the time they blow, everyone should be on the surface. Anyone absolutely clueless as to what I've said?" I finished, standing up and looking at them all.

"There's only five of us." Destroyer stated. "We should go in threes to set charges in two sectors each. That way no one is traveling on their own. Then we'll meet up in the eastern sector to evacuate the civilians so that we have enough firepower to protect them."

"That's gonna take up a lot of time. What if something gets to them before we set all the charges?" Kid asked.

"If we rush, we can do this within no more than 15 minutes. If the storage room is secure, it will take longer than that for something to get in. The people should be safe till we get there." I answered.

"What if one of us is killed? There won't be enough of us to set the charges, let alone protect the civilians." Duke asked, stating the obvious.

"Easy… don't get killed." I replied. "We're Marines you guys. These things are sneaky, and smart. We should know enough about their game-play by now to not be taken by surprise anymore. Watch the floors, the ceilings, around corners, in walls, behind pipes. They hide everywhere. All we have to do… is stay on top of them." I explained in an encouraging manner.

"She's right." Reaper said finally, and all eyes went to him. "The truth is that we know what these things can do, so it scares us shitless when we come face to face with one of them. It's affecting our performance and getting people killed."

"We're still the top of the food chain you guys. These things may have been rocket scientists, but we have the upper hand with brains_ and_ state-of-the-art equipment." I added. "So, if there's nothing else to say, I'd like to get started."

No one spoke up, so I took that as a no.

"Ok, Destroyer, Kid and Reaper, you guys cover the western and northern sectors. Duke and I will take Sam and cover the southern, then go straight to the eastern to start evacuating the civilians. By the time we get them out you should be there. We'll set the bombs and escape to the Ark room, going towards the elevator from there." I ordered.

"Why is Sam going with you guys?" Kid asked.

"We'll be with the civilians before you, and the sooner she gets with them the better it is for us. Besides, she'll only be a burden for you, and you have two sectors to cover."

"Alright. Let's start packin' on the pounds." Duke joked, stepping towards the pile and taking one of the charges. Destroyer and Reaper each took one, while Kid carried the bombs. I took the rest of the bombs.

"Ok, remember you guys. Stay on top. Let's move out." I said, moving towards the southern hall leading out of the Ark room. Duke and a hesitant Sam followed, while Reaper, Destroyer, and Kid took the western hall.

"This is gonna be one hell of a run." I heard Duke say behind me.

"Yep." I said to that, quickening to a fast jog down the corridor.

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I was a little uncomfortable running through the facility without a gun, but it didn't matter much if I trusted the other Marine accompanying me. Neither did it matter because I could kill a monster with naught but a knife in my hand. However, I knew there would be zombies traveling in large groups, hunting us down, and it would take a little more than knife work to take them out. I only hoped that Destroyer, Reaper and Kid could do both of their sectors without getting killed. Reaper is the only one I'm confident has a chance against the demons, because he's fought them a lot before. That was one of the reasons I stuck him with them. The other was because I needed to get away from him. What happened back with the monsters, and our conversation left me with a lot of thoughts nagging at my mind.

That man could sure confuse my head and turn it to mush. When I needed to think properly or focus on something, he had to be quiet, invisible, or just out of the room. That's why I avoided looking at him when discussing my plan, because his face would only remind me of the thoughts I had shoved to the back of my head for the time being, and I wouldn't be able to think on the task at hand. Sometimes I wished he would just disappear from my life for a while, and yet at the same time I wanted him right there in front of me. Weird, I know, but that's how I feel. There were moments when… I thought I felt more than just a little crush on him.

_Probably should have left Sam in the Ark room. She's only complicating things for the squad, making the task of clearing out this place more difficult by being a burden. Reaper would never leave her behind though. She is his sister after all, and I would never leave my brother behind either, so I know how he feels. _

Close behind me, Duke and Sam were jogging with heavy bags over their shoulders which we found in the bloody living quarters of a civilian. I forced her to help carry the heavy bombs. I had a bag also, but it did little to slow me down unlike the two behind me. They struggled to keep up with my pace, so I had to slow down a little every once in a while.

We hadn't come across any infected people yet, which was a concern. There were places on the walls where blood was spattered, and sometimes torn organs were on the floor. Yet, no living thing was around with which the gore may have belonged to, or the monster that caused the bloodshed. All three of us knew this, and it kept us on our toes every second we drew breath.

"_Ice, what's your position?_" Reaper said in a whisper over the com, making me jump and stop dead in my tracks. Duke also heard his voice and stopped, letting out a relieved sigh when he recognized who was speaking. Sam ran into his back, almost falling backwards, but Duke had turned and grabbed her around the waste, pulling her to his chest violently.

"We're nearing the center of the southern sector, first floor. So far we haven't found anything to kill. Anything with you?" I whispered back.

"_No, we've just set the first charge and we're heading for the second floor to set the bombs. Let me know when you guys are done with that sector, then we'll hurry to the civilians._"

"Will do, and Reaper…" I said.

"_What?_"

"If you see my brother… uh… don't-"

"_I'll make sure he isn't hurt._" Reaper interrupted reassuringly.

I paused for a moment, making an inward smile.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"_Be careful._"

"You too."

Then the coms went quiet. I turned my head to see Duke holding Sam close to his body. Both of them seemed quite deep into each other's gazes, which was a bit of a surprise on my part. I raised an eyebrow and pulled a smirk, crossing arms across my chest and leaning against the wall. They probably hadn't even noticed me talking over the com.

When I waited for almost a full minute, I let out a quiet sigh and turned on my heels to begin walking down the corridor.

"Reaper will murder you Duke. Just letting you know." I said in a casual tone, and I heard his clothing ruffle as he made some movement to let go of Sam. His boots clunked on the floor as he followed me, and Sam close beside him.

"Well then Reaper can kiss my shiny graham cracker ass. Maybe he ought to remember that your brother would murder him too." Duke said, giving the hint that he knew something I didn't recall telling him.

I slowed and turned to look at him.

"What would possibly give my brother reason to kill Reaper?" I asked.

"Oh… nothing. I'm just talking bullshit. Don't listen to me." Duke said.

"Are you and John _together_?" Sam asked in shock.

I growled angrily at Duke.

"Of course we aren't. We would never even get that close. It's pretty much forbidden to have romantic or sexual relationships with your comrades. Have no fear Sam. Your brother isn't going out with one of your mutated experiments." I said in a coldly sarcastic way.

"ALRIGHT!" Sam shouted angrily, causing both Duke and I to stop and look at her in surprise. She walked up to me, her face taut with fury, and nostrils flaring. I got a good look at the damage I had done to her face earlier. The blood had been wiped away. Her left eye was black and swollen, the bottom of her jaw purple with bruising, and her nose was slightly bent in an awkward direction from being broken. I wiped the surprise from my face and looked straight into her eyes, prepared for whatever was about to spew out of the bottle now that it was shaken up enough.

"Look…" She began. "Just because I was working with the scientists here, _doesn't_ mean I was one of the ones who caused the disaster! I didn't _mutate _your brother! I had _no_ part in that! In fact… _if _you must know… I protested against testing the serum on humans! IN FACT… I tried to _help_ your brother! IN FACT… if it wasn't for me, you never would have gotten his _letter_! Your brother wasn't able to mail it to you before he was flown off to the Ark! So before he was experimented on, he asked me to send it to you for him! I snuck the C24 into your system because I knew you were his sister, and that if you died then there was absolutely no way of stopping him without killing him! _Despite_ what you may think… I'm not the 'fucking scientist who doesn't know where to draw the line' that you think I am! I've been trying to _help_ you, but you keep shoving it all back in my face! I'm sorry about your brother! I really am! BUT LAY OFF!"

She then shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder to the other, and marched passed me to continue down the hall. I stood there, shocked, thinking over what she said. Duke was just as surprised as me, because… well… I, a hard-core Marine with ability to punch her face in _again_, just got told off by a stick-figured, smart ass, science geek. After a few seconds he walked up to me and leaned in.

"As much as I hate to say this to _you_, Ice, but you got burned." He whispered, patting my shoulder pitifully. I glared at him and opened my mouth to say something, but a scream from down the hall stopped me. We both turned to the direction Sam had gone, realizing that it must have been her. Duke started down the corridor before I did, but once I was able push the distracting thoughts of what Sam said aside, I went after him.

When we turned the corner meters ahead, we saw Sam struggling to get away from a zombie, who was holding her by the leg and attempting to bite at it. She kept it from doing so by kicking it in the head with her free leg, but it still didn't let go of her. Duke rushed to aid her, but I was focused on something a _little_ more concerning. At the far end of the hall were guttural screams and shouts, and what sounded like a battle. However, what I saw said something different. There was a group of probably twenty or so civilians, all half mutated, and they were all charging down the hall, towards us. That screaming bitch caught their attention with her racket.

"Hurry up Duke! We got company!" I shouted, and then I heard him let out a painful yelp. When I looked to see why, the zombie had left Sam and was now on top of him, biting down on his shoulder. Quickly pulling the knife out of its sheath at my belt, I rushed over to help him. I grabbed what hair was left on its head and yanked it up, so that its jaws left Duke's shoulder, then put an arm around its neck. Pulling the screaming creature off of Duke and throwing it at the wall, I took the knife and drove it into the thing's forehead. It let out a roar, flailing arms around to claw at me, but died a few seconds later.

I pulled it out and turned, rushing to Duke's side, who was holding his bleeding shoulder and trying to stand. Sam had tears in her eyes and was gripping her leg painfully, obviously badly sprained or broken.

"Cover the hall!" I ordered Duke, who lifted his rifle and began to fire at the zombies charging our way. While he did that, I went to Sam and put an arm around her to help stand her up. Instead she just yelped when pressure was put on her leg, and collapsed all her weight on my shoulder. I'd have to carry her. "Damnit. Let's go Duke, you can't hold them off with one gun."

I got a grip on Sam's arm around my shoulder and turned around quickly to go back where we came. Duke followed, covering our backs as we rushed back around the corner. Then I stopped suddenly, causing him to bump into my back.

"Keep moving Ice! These things aren't stopping to have tea you know!" Duke shouted.

"We got another problem." I said, staring at the end of hall from which we had just come from.

"What?" Duke exclaimed in frustration, turning his head to look, and then pausing his gunfire.

At the end of the corridor was yet another group of zombies, who had heard the commotion and were now charging down the hallway.

"Shit! They got us closed in here. We gotta fight our way through." Duke said.

"We can't. Sam can't walk, and you're the only one with a gun. There's no way we can just bash through them without getting someone killed." I said stressfully.

"Then what the hell should we do! I don't feel like being dinner for a bunch of cannibals!"

I started looking around, looking for absolutely anything that would give me an idea. There was nothing but walls, a stone floor, and a grated ceiling. _Grated ceiling. _

I set Sam down on the floor and turned to Duke.

"Lift me up." I told him. He looked at me questioningly, but quickly got what I was doing when he thought about what lifting me up would allow me to do. He let his rifle hang and cupped his hands for a foot hold, and I fit my boot in it. One hand holding onto him, he lifted me up towards the ceiling, allowing me to put a foot on his shoulder.

"Higher." His face tightened as he struggled to lift me as far as his shoulders, and I was able to link my fingers into the grates above. It took one or two pushes, but the square grated tile lifted out of place and I slid it to the side, creating a hole for us to climb up into. We could use the shafts in order to reach the center of the sector, and stay out of harm.

"Ok, get both my feet and lift me up as high as you can." He rolled his eyes and painfully moved the foot that rested on his shoulder to his hand, pushing up with all his strength. He had lifted me high enough to get my elbows resting on the grates. I pushed myself up, feet leaving his hands, and lifted my body up into the ceiling. Once up there, I peeked down and reached out a hand. "Lift Sam up, hurry." I pushed.

He kneeled down in front of Sam and told her to get on his back, which she did, hooking her arms around his neck and legs around his waste. He then stood and slid her body up his back, far enough to where she could now sit on his shoulders. From that point he tried to get her to stand up on her good leg, so she could reach my hand. She shook uncomfortably as she did so, but was able to grab my hand. I pulled her up easily, using my legs to hold me still while I sat up to lift her higher. Half her body was now through, and I dragged her the rest of the way in, quickly going back to the hole and reaching a hand down for Duke.

He was shooting frantically on both sides of him, keeping the charging zombies, who were now very near, as far away as possible.

"Duke, jump!" I shouted.

"You crazy? I can't jump that high!" He exclaimed.

"You're black, sure you can. Don't you make me fucking come down there for your sorry ass! Jump!"

He growled angrily and slid his rifle to the side, crouching a little, and then jumping up as high as he could. I managed to grab some of his hand, but he was sliding out of my grip, so I grabbed his wrist with my other hand.

"Pull! Use your superhuman strength cracker!" Duke squeaked as the zombies were only a few feet away by now.

"Keep callin' me cracker and I just might shove em' up your ass!" I said back, letting out groans as I used every ounce of strength in my body to lift him quickly. However, once I got him half way, something started dragging him back down.

"Ah, pull Ice, pull!" Duke shouted in a frightened tone, kicking at the zombie clinging to his leg.

"Urgh, what the hell do you think I'm doing?"

Suddenly the weight wasn't so heavy any more, and I looked to my side to find that Sam had grabbed him also. She helped me to lift him. Duke used his free hand to grip the trigger of his rifle, and he shot the zombie that had been clinging to his leg. It fell to the ground, and then others dived at it, ripping it open and devouring the dead mutant hungrily. Duke was pulled up into the ceiling with ease from that point, and he laid on his back, breathing hard and sweating like crazy. I leaned back on my hands, gasping for breath and sweating also, Sam doing the same.

"That's the second time I've had to save your life today." I said to Duke.

"What friends are for." He replied.

"Yeah, well friends suck sometimes."

He chuckled and sat up.

"We gotta keep moving. We still haven't even set the first charge yet, and those zombies are waking up. There's no telling how long the civilians will go unnoticed." Duke stated.

"Ok, let's keep moving people." I gasped, getting on all fours and reaching for a mini flashlight in my pocket. Clicking it on, I shined it at Sam. "Think you can crawl?" I asked.

"Yeah." She answered.

"Reaper, you guys still there?" I asked through the com, hoping that they hadn't run into the same trouble we had.

"_We're here._" He replied, but he sounded out of breath. "_Hey, I got some good news and bad news. Which you wanna hear first?_"

"Good news. It'll be the first I've heard today." I answered, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"_Found your brother a few minutes ago."_

"Ok, so what's the bad news?"

"_He was fighting with three other demons. They weren't like the scientists though. These demons were bigger, and unlike the ones we've seen. I… I can't describe them, but he killed them all."_

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"_Yeah, but the bad news is that he's wounded, badly. He ran off, leaving a trail of blood behind him. I don't know if he'll be alright."_

I sat back down and was silent for a moment. _Fuck, what if he's bleeding to death? Why the hell would demons attack their own? Unless… maybe they know that the demon who possessed Will isn't strong enough to hold him, so they're gonna kill him; but where did those three demons come from?_

"_You ok Ice?"_

"Umm… yeah. Yeah I'll be ok. Uh… we ran into a bit of trouble a few minutes ago also. Zombies trapped us in the hallway. We managed to escape into the little space in the ceiling. Sam's got what looks like a broken ankle, and Duke got a nasty bite off his shoulder. Other than that… we're pretty much ok. We'll use the ceiling passage to get to the center of the sector from this point, then take a shortcut to the second floor for the bombs. After that we should be heading straight for the civilians. How much have you guys covered?"

"_We're heading for the next sector."_

"Damn, they sure are doing better than us." Duke commented.

"Ok, we should be near the center by now. Hopefully we'll have the charge set in less than five minutes, if we hurry. I'll call you up when we're done." I said, ignoring Duke.

"_Copy that. Oh… and Ice?"_

"Yeah."

"_Watch out for my sister. It's only fair since I'm trying to keep __**your **__sibling from getting killed." _

"I will. Talk to you later."

With that, I led them both through this dark space between the ceiling below us, and the floor above us. The grates we crawled on were very irritating for the hands, and for Sam it was the knees. Duke and I had kneepads, so it didn't bother us, but for her it was painful. After a while, Duke lent her one of his. She wouldn't need the other because she was dragging her other leg.

I peaked through the grates under me and found that we were over a large room, which looked like a lounge or something. Must be a place for the workers to relax, and also the perfect place to set our charge. I sat down and turned to Duke, who had the charge in his bag.

"Set it." I ordered anxiously, and he unzipped the duffel, pulling the charge out and setting it in his lap. He began toying with the buttons on it, setting the timer for one minute. When he finished, he took the remote out of its little compartment on the charge and pocketed it. I scooted away from the grate I was sitting on, and started to lift it up. Duke then handed me the charge, and I slipped the duffel bag off my shoulder. Holding the precious little device carefully against me, I jumped down into the room below.

For a few seconds I scanned the area, making sure that nothing was hiding behind a couch, or perhaps even in a cabinet. The entire room seemed untouched actually. There was no blood, no sign of anyone being here recently. That was good, because it meant the demons haven't found it, or they don't know where it is, therefore won't find the charge. Still, it should be set in a hidden place.

I silently walked around the room, searching for a good place to set the charge. One of the couches would be a good place, so I went to one, lifting the cushion and tucking it gently there. _Ok, there's the first charge._

I grabbed a wooden chair and set it under the hole in the ceiling, standing on it and reaching up. Duke's hand came down, and I grabbed it. He then pulled me back up, and I crawled away, setting the grated tile back where it belonged. Then I looked up, studying what would be the floor of the level above us. It appeared to be made of tiles also, but they were heavy stone ones, so they would be more difficult to move. That wouldn't be a problem for me though. _Never thought being super strong could be so useful all the time. _

I looked at both Duke and Sam, and they both were paying close attention to what I had to say.

"Ok, we're gonna set a few bombs up there. We don't know if there's anything waiting for a snack just above our heads, so I'm going to borrow your gun, Duke, and be the first one up. I'll make sure the coast is clear, and then you two come. Got it?"

Sam nodded, and Duke said yes. He then scooted next to me, pointing the gun at the ceiling. I put my hands on the stone tile above and started to push. At first it wouldn't budge, but then it scraped and shifted its way up, and I pushed it to the side. Taking Duke's rifle, I held it at the ready and stood up through the hole.

There was complete darkness. The power must have gone out in this part too. I reached for the barrel of the gun and clicked the flashlight on, then raised it to see where we were. It appeared to be another corridor, and extremely… quiet. Past experiences told me that this wasn't a good sign, so I looked down to see Duke.

"Stay here. I'm checking it out." I whispered, not that it would do any good. Whatever was up here probably knew we were here anyway.

I climbed out of the hole and stood up, quickly scanning both ends of the corridor. Nothing was there, but I knew something was. I could smell it. The smell of blood reached my senses, mixed with the stench of decay. That was odd. Surely it was too soon for something to start decaying, for it had only almost been an hour since the death started. Something definitely wasn't right.

Very slowly I edged forward, listening intently to any sound that wasn't my own. The light reflected off the marble floor and walls, illuminating a short distanced portion of the hall. This definitely helped, seeing as it enabled me to see the walls, ceiling, and floor at the same time. I took a few more steps, looking up at the grated ceiling. Poking through, was what I thought to be claws, but it disappeared almost as quickly as I blinked, leading me to think it was naught but a trick of the light. I knew better though. I pointed my rifle at the spot where the claws had appeared, hoping the flashlight could reveal anything that hid in the ceiling. For a few seconds I saw nothing, and no sign of movement gave the hint that there ever was a presence other than mine in this hall.

I suddenly remembered that I had had my back to the other end of the hall for too long, and turned quickly, expecting to see a demon only feet away. What I saw scared me more than some monster charging at me though, which was nothing. It was playing with my head. This thing was getting amusement out of toying with my nerves and fears, watching me till I was worked up enough to be an easier victim. That wouldn't work though. Not on me.

Realizing that nothing was going to attack me… yet, I walked back over to the hole and looked down at Duke.

"Hand me the bombs. I'm gonna set them myself." I said, constantly glancing down both ends of the hall.

"You crazy? What if something finds you?" Duke protested.

"I'll kill it, duh. Look, we got one gun and I'm the only one who can face one of these things and have a full out cat-fight with it without getting killed. I'm gonna do this on my own. Sam's leg is broken, and you're wounded. You'll just get killed. I'll cover up the hole so nothing can get to you. I know something's up here. If anything gets in there, use your pistol. I'll be back as soon as I can." I said, as he handed me the bag of bombs.

"You be careful Ice. I don't feel like losing my sister again, alright?" He said in a serious tone.

"I'll be fine." I answered. I put the bag over my shoulder and pushed the rifle to my side briefly. Leaning down, I gripped the edge of the marble tile and started to push it back into place again. It made a scraping sound as I did so, and soon it made a dull clunk when it dropped into its original position. Then I quickly took the rifle into my hands again, scanning the hall, and then going to the wall to set the first bomb. All I had to do was set them in a line along the corridors, so the chain reaction would go throughout the sector. I hope these damn demons don't know how to disable a bomb.

I kneeled and slid the rifle around to my back, the duffel bag to my front, and felt for the zipper. Taking one of the bombs out, I reached for the small flashlight in my pocket again and used it to see what I was doing. I then took out a thick roll of electrical tape and held the bomb against the wall, taping it heavily.

While I was focused on this task, something snaked its way from the grated ceiling, dropping to the floor without even the slightest sound. The creature stealthily made its way towards my kneeling figure, extending the limbs attached to its deformed body, and jaw opening wide. It was feet away now, and without announcing its presence, it leaned its head back to a striking position. I noticed nothing when it had launched its jaws toward my body, striking to kill.


	12. Chapter 12

The deathly silence of the hall was clawing at my restless instincts, which have become less shy and dormant since my 'change'. It seemed that the animalistic side of my soul was roused unpleasantly by the threatening presence of something truly evil.

After that first demon tried to posses me, I had noticed my senses improving dramatically, and I knew it wasn't because of the C24. Instinct of a human being is hardly an inherited trait due to chromosomes, but reveals itself only when the human mind allows. After being thrown into such dangerous and unnatural experiences so suddenly in such a desolate place, my mind has literally been forced to accept that survival is crucial, and only instinct is the best tool to succeed in that area. After almost getting killed twice, due to my common human flaws called fear, I have learned to trust my instincts a little more. In fact, it is instinct that practically saved Goat's life in that sewer, and probably would have saved mine if shock hadn't clouded my senses. In this moment, while I kneel with my back turned to the dark corridors, and rifle set in a place that would take too long to reach in time if something attacked me just now, instinct tells me to stop what I am doing and just listen, so that sounds of ripping tape and constant movement don't cover slight noises behind me.

It is only then that I cease my work, and suddenly realize too late that the hairs on the back of my neck stood erect due to the ever so slight breeze of warm breath grazing them. It is only too late that I notice the stench of blood and decay becoming stronger, almost overriding my senses to the point of becoming numb and useless. Too late… do I hear the clenching of muscles in a mouth as it opens, causing saliva to give it a slimy sound and leak down the jaw, falling to the floor.

Despite my human realization that it would be useless to make an attempt to defend myself at this point, my instincts screamed at me to act, to survive… to turn and face Hell head on and spit fear right back in its face. The latter won me over, and with speed I never thought was humanly possible to posses, I had gripped the knife resting in its sheath at my leg and pulled it out, lashing it out behind me without wasting precious time in looking to see if my target was in striking distance. I couldn't afford the time it would take to turn and face the danger eye to eye, for then it would have struck me before I could defend.

However, my quick reaction to the threat went to little avail, and I felt and jaw clasp around the shoulder of my opposite arm. Screaming in agony, for its very touch felt like fire against my flesh, I gripped the knife and brought it to my shoulder, driving it blindly into the thing's snout. I screamed again as it went through soft flesh, and then penetrated my own skin underneath.

"_Talk to me Ice!"_ Duke shouted over the com after he heard my screams, but I couldn't answer. The burning pain in my shoulder disabled me from speaking, not to mention the fact that I had stabbed myself.

The creature that had its fangs driven into my shoulder suddenly pulled away, taking the knife with it, causing the blade to slice through bone and flesh of my own body painfully. I fell back, lying on the floor and gripping my burning shoulder. At the corner of my eye I saw a snakelike creature retreat into the ceiling, not giving any hint that it felt the blade driven into its snout. In fact, it didn't make any noises at all. It was like the thing didn't even feel pain, which sucks balls because I wanted to make that thing scream for the amount of pain the fucker was causing me; but something else was bothering me more than that.

The thing just bit me and left. It made no attempt to cut me up, bite my head off, or claw my guts out. That's not fair. They can't just do that, because now I have figure out what the hell this thing just did to me.

I turned to look at my shoulder, lifting my hand up. There was a greenish substance leaking out of the skin where the fangs had penetrated, even though the wounds had healed. It covered my hand, and I rubbed it between my fingers, studying it curiously.

"_Ice! Answer me damnit!"_ Duke shouted in my ear. It caused a pounding in my head, and I winced at the sudden migraine. My whole body began to shake suddenly, and I felt the same burning sensation from my shoulder spreading to the rest of my body. I was struck with a bolt of panic as everything began going blurry. My eyes felt like they were being tugged on, and I closed them tight as tears filled them and started pouring down my cheeks. The pain was everywhere, and it was getting worse by the second. I couldn't speak, only scream and let out gasping whimpers through the com.

"_Ice. What's wrong?" _Reaper's deeply concerned tone rang in my ears, increasing the migraine. I tried hard to speak, but it was difficult to get anything past my swelling throat. It was at that moment when I realized what was happening. It had poisoned me. That's why it bit me and ran, so it's probably waiting up there for me to die. _I gotta get away. Gotta get out of this corridor… get away from here. _

"_Ice, please tell us what's wrong!" _Reaper shouted, making me scream as his voice increased the pain past bearable point.

"Poison! POISON!" I managed to scream out, rolling and wailing in agony.

"_Duke, can you get to her."_

"_She closed up the hole. There's no way I can push that stone tile up all by myself."_

"_Then we're coming over. Hang in there Ice."_

I hugged myself tightly, holding my arms in a death grip to try and take away some of the scorching pain. My body then started jerking violently, and my sight was diminishing to near blackness. Sweat leaked out of the glands in my skin, drenching my body but doing its job uselessly to cool me down. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as my body started turning to dangerously violent seizures. Foamy spit formed in my mouth, leaking out to run down my cheek. It was impossible for me to even scream at this point, only let out incessant chokes and wheezes to show how much pain I was enduring.

Every muscle in my body was tightly clenched, straining against the intense jerking to gain control. My senses were numbed. I couldn't hear my breathing, see the glow of my small flashlight, taste the faint remnants of blood in my mouth, or smell my sweat and the decay that lingered around that creature. It was a wonder why I wasn't dead after all this, and I predicted that I would be dying soon if not now. I hoped to God that I did, because the torture that my body was being put through was too far beyond unbearable. This is the third time I've been close to death, and probably the last. Poison, I doubt, can be fought off before it kills me, even with the C24. If it does, then it better be finishing its job soon, because I'd be shooting myself right now if it wasn't for the small fact that I couldn't control my limbs.

"_Ice, cover your head if you can." _Duke said anxiously, but I couldn't hear his words, only feel the slight vibration that the com let off against my ear.

Duke and Sam had quickly crawled away from the place where they had set the bomb. It was risky to blow their way into the corridor above, but if I was in trouble then Duke would do anything to rescue me. When the timer in Duke's mind was reaching its end, he quickly pushed Sam onto her back and covered her body with his to act as a shield. A few seconds past, and then everything around them shook violently, the explosion heard behind them. Duke felt the heat of the discharge, closing his eyes tight and hoping that they were at a safe distance. Little bits and pieces of metal and stone started smacking against his back, and he put a hand over Sam's head to protect her from any of the debris. Smoke and dust particles surrounded their bodies, and she started coughing, burying her face into Duke's uniform to keep from breathing it in.

"_Duke, what the fuck did you just do?" _Reaper shouted furiously, recognizing the sound of a bomb explosion.

"She's dyin' Reaper. It's the only way to get to her, and you guys are too far away." Duke answered.

"_You probably just killed her you idiot!" _

"Yeah, well next time your best friend is dying right above your head, I'll let you think over what's smart and what's necessary. If she's dead, feel free to kill me _then_."

Ending the conversation right there, Duke sat up and dragged Sam with him, crawling quickly through the smoke and dust. He made sure he watched the grates, just in case they opened up into a gaping hole from the explosion. After a few feet, the metal began growing hot, and Duke paused for a second to take out a bandanna and rip it into two pieces, wrapping each of them around his exposed fingers to protect them from the heat. Sam had done the same, but with cloth from her lab coat. Eventually they came to the place where the floor and ceiling ended, and he could see the glare of a flashlight through the hole.

"Stay here. I'll let you know if it's safe." Duke said to Sam, reaching up to grip the edge of the shattered floor. He pulled himself up, leaving his legs to dangle through the gaping hole below. Once his head was high enough to see into the corridor, he started to frantically search for me. His eyes went straight for the flashlight he had seen, and it rested about ten feet down the hall. That's when he saw my body, jerking furiously on the floor, sweat and spit covering some of the marble I was lying on.

"Ice!" He shouted, relieved that I had been somewhere away from the explosion.

Determined beyond any point he had ever come to, he pulled himself from the hole and gained his feet, running straight for me. He dropped down at my side, picking up the small flashlight that had rolled out of my hand and pointing it at me. "Oh Jesus Christ." He cursed in shock, eyes widened in horror at the site of my condition. "I found her. She's spazzing like crazy man. It looks like the work of poison, but it has to be powerful stuff to have her acting like this."

"_Sam's the doctor. Get her to look at her." _Reaper said anxiously.

"Hold on baby girl. We ain't gonna let you die yet." Duke whispered to me, wiping away some of the loose bangs that stuck to my face before standing up and rushing back towards the hole. "Sam! Grab my hand!" He shouted, getting on his stomach and reaching an arm down.

I had felt something graze my face. It was soft, and felt like human flesh. I wondered who it could be, because there was no way Reaper and the othres could have reached me at such a short time, and Duke and Sam were trapped below. However, I had felt the warm wind of an explosion naught but a few minutes ago. Perhaps Duke had grown desperate and blown his way up here. It wouldn't surprise me.

It seemed like minutes passed, and my condition was still only worsening, if that was possible. If that touch I felt on my face was human, then where were they? Surely they wouldn't leave me here? Who could do that?

Suddenly I felt a rhythmic thump through the floor, and it became stronger with every sound. Something was coming near, and it wasn't human. The thump stopped very close to me, and I was abruptly lifted from the ground by huge hands. My body's violent shaking was slowed, for great strength was holding it still, and my head bobbed unconsciously on my shoulders as I was lifted upright. Whatever was holding me, its hands could touch fingers as they wrapped around my body.

Warm breath grazed my shoulder, and I could sense a large jaw hovering over it. _Has that thing come back to bite me again and quicken the process? If it is, then it better make it __**really**__ quick, because I'm ready to die. I think I've suffered enough._

As if my prayers were answered, a mouth did cover my shoulder, puncturing the skin with short but sharp teeth. I expected it to be a quick bite, but instead felt it… sucking on me. The creature was sucking on my shoulder, probably draining me of blood like a vampire. That's probably how the thing feeds; but… wait… the creature that bit me had long fangs, yet this one has short little razors for teeth. What's going on?

Time suddenly slowed to a sluggish pace, and a lethargic feeling possessed me. My eyes drooped, fluttering open and closed as an almost pleasurable sensation spread through my body. The scorching I had felt was now gradually leaving me, allowing life to leak back in, and it felt so good. This creature was sucking the poison from my veins. I wasn't sure if it knew this or not, but I didn't care. One less demon for me to worry about.

Duke had finally managed to get Sam out of the hole, and helped her to stand with him. She looked over his shoulder towards the flashlight of a rifle, and her eyes widened at what she saw. He saw the look on her face and turned back to me, eyes widening in fear. His hand quickly went for the pistol resting in its holster at his leg and pulled it out, aiming it at the creature holding me. Sam noticed this.

"No! Don't shoot him!" She screamed, pushing his arm down. Duke looked at her like she was crazy.

"_Him_? It's a monster, not a _him_! It's gonna kill her!"

"It's her brother! I doubt he's trying to hurt her!" Sam argued, keeping her hand on his arm. He glared at her, fighting against the urge to just push her out of the way and start firing at the demon himself. However, he trusted her, and would never hurt her on purpose. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked towards me again. That's when he noticed that my body was relaxing. It wasn't jerking anymore, and my eyes had rolled back down from my head, fluttering. Maybe Sam was right, and it was my brother. Perhaps he was saving me; but then again, I could be dying as the blood was being sucked from my body.

I felt the jaw unclasp from my shoulder, and my body was almost limp in the creature's hands. It lowered me down, gently resting me back on the floor. My vision was returning, and the blurry image of the large monster drifted above me. It was leaning over me, looking at me. I tried to blink away the blurriness, but my eyes refused to respond. Instead, they just got worse, and blackness swirled around my vision.

It turned, reaching up and ripping down a grated tile from the ceiling. Then it jumped up, pushing and bending its way into the space above. Just as it disappeared into the darkness, Duke and Sam were running to my side, and I could hear more boot steps charging from down the hall, towards us.

My eyes drooped shut. I felt so damn tired, for the poison had drained a lot of my energy. Duke lifted me up in his arms and immediately started inspecting my shoulder, which was as good as it ever was, considering the amount of abuse it had endured in the past ten minutes or so. I wasn't really able to count the seconds passing by at the time.

"Come on girl, give me something. Talk to me baby." Duke spoke frantically, wiping the sweat from my face with his ripped bandana.

"She's not breathing." Sam stated when my chest wasn't rising.

Reaper suddenly appeared in front of me, his chest heaving and head covered in sweat from running all the way here. Destroyer and Kid showed up in the same condition, squeezing in to get a look at me too.

"Is she still alive?" Reaper breathed out quickly.

"She ain't breathing." Duke answered.

"Shit, lay her down. She can't be that far off." Reaper ordered anxiously, scooting towards my body.

Duke set me gently on the floor, not wanting to get in Reaper's way. Reaper folded his hands and placed them above my heart, pressing repeatedly, performing the standard steps of CPR. After doing that five times, he leaned down and held my nose, placing his mouth over mine and blowing air from his own lungs down my throat. He continued this twice before I started to come around.

I could feel hot air coming into my mouth, and recognized the feeling of someone's lips placed over mine. Stubble also scratched at the skin around my mouth. In reaction, my eyes opened slightly, and I found the familiar features of Reaper. I was so shocked that when I tried to suck in a gasp, it hitched in my throat and I hiccupped into his mouth.

He pulled away and looked at my face, hoping I was finally coming around. I opened my eyes all the way and looked directly into his, then hiccupped again.

"This looks awfully familiar." I rasped.

You ok?" He asked quickly. For some reason his question annoyed me. I spent about ten minutes suffering from poisoning, some demon saves my life by sucking the poison out of me, then I wake up and first thing I think is: "Oh God, Reaper's kissing me." And he asks me if I'm alright? _Take a good look you stupid cracker. What's it look like? _I somehow managed to bring my hand up and weakly smack him across the face.

"That answer enough for ya?" I muttered, coughing a little bit as spit went down the wrong hole in my throat. A smile stretched across his face and he let out a breath of relief, taking me up from the floor and squeezing me close. I let out another gasp, blended with a hiccup, at how quickly he gathered me up, and also because my body was quite sore.

"Gently." I wheezed urgently, and he breathed out a soft apology as he loosened his hold, but not enough for my body to separate from his.

His smile must have been contagious, or maybe everyone was just happy to see I was alive and still had enough strength to slap somebody. All the same, they were smiling.

"Your guardian angel's hair must be sticking up by now." Reaper joked. "She'll be sprouting gray hairs next."

"I'll remember to thank her for the trouble when by some miracle I actually die." I chuckled in a gruff tone. All the screaming and strain I had gone through made it weak. I also still felt a tingly sensation around my mouth from where his lips had been, and no matter how much I rubbed them together it wouldn't go away.

Duke then somehow managed to tear me away from Reaper, and was squeezing me like crazy. I had to shove my elbow into his stomach to make him loosen up.

"It's good to have you back Cracker. Thought you were gonna die on me again." Duke choked out, and I thought he was actually crying. When I looked up at him he had a grin on his face, but there were little droplets of tears running down his face too.

"Missed you too Graham Cracker." I wheezed, leaning into his embrace more. He was crying… my big bad-ass Duke was crying over me. I felt so touched that for once I wasn't gonna fool around with him by pushing him away, but just let him hold me.

"Why the hell do you have to keep scarin' the shit out of us fellas like that, huh?" He asked, squeezing me tighter.

"Cus I'm great like that." I answered, managing to pull a smile. "Can't help it ya'll love me so much."

"Too much for our own good." Destroyer put in with a slight grin.

"Awe, I'm touched. You know, if you really love me then you'll buy me a free ticket to the best spa in the world. Professional massages, hot tubs and all. Then get me a free trip to Disney World for a week with all the free meals and gift cards included." I hinted.

"Ha, when Hell freezes over baby. We ain't that rich." Duke said shortly.

I pouted. "After all the fucking trouble we've had to go through, you'd think they would pay us triple the amount we get now. I'm gonna argue about that when we get outta here."

"You go ahead and do that. We'll be partying at the bar down town."

"Hey… did ya'll see that demon? It practically saved my life." I asked.

"Kyra, that demon was your brother." Sam answered.

"Her brother? So he was ok?" Reaper questioned.

"Apparently yes."

"But… he sucked the poison out of me. What if it's killing him right now? He could be dying because of me!" I said in a concerned tone.

"We don't know if he's immune to it or not. He's also three times your size. For all we know the poison could have no effect on him." Sam assured.

"Why the fuck is it that somebody always gets hurt when I get into trouble?" I mumbled to myself.

The subject of demons suddenly reminded me of our task at hand.

"If I'm not mistaken…we have some civilians to rescue." I pulled away from Duke and tried to stand. My legs trembled and buckled beneath me, making it less easy to gain footing, but as usual, Reaper was right there to help. He put his arm around me and pulled me to my feet himself.

"You've just suffered from fatal poisoning. You really shouldn't be on your feet so suddenly." Sam warned, looking at me, to my own surprise, with concern.

"I feel fine, my body is recovering." I assured her.

"Do what the doctor says Ice." Duke teased. I turned my head to him and gave him the finger.

"She's a scientist." I corrected. "And I'm sure those poor people holed up in that storage room would say otherwise. We don't have time to wait until the 'doctor' gives me the go-ahead." I then felt Reaper's grip tighten around my waste, and turned a pointed look at him. "And if you try to stop me, then you can forget me ridin' piggy-back on some mutated doggy because it decided you might taste good. I'm _ready_ to go home, so the sooner we clean out this place the sooner we can get there. Savvy?"

He just chuckled and squeezed me tighter. "You've seen that movie too many times. Let's go you guys, she's right. Take those bombs and let's finish setting them along this corridor. Then we can head towards the civilians and get the hell out of here."

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While I sat against the wall, everyone but Sam were running around the corridors and quickly placing the bombs in place. There was no sign of the demon that poisoned me, and I wondered if that was a good thing. It snuck up on me without making a sound at all. How can that be possible, considering the racket the larger and smaller demons make every time they're near? Reaper also mentioned that three demons attacked my brother, and they looked nothing like the others. Perhaps what we are facing here is a little more extreme than we thought. If there are different breeds of demons running around this place, then where do they come from? How did they change into that form so differently than the rest? Or, more importantly, what did they change _from_?

Before I knew it we were rushing towards the eastern sector. I was able to walk now, so Sam leaned on me for support while the rest of the squad surrounded us, protecting us from harm. It was a relatively uneventful rush to the civilians, and Kid led the way. The zombies that had cornered Sam, Duke and I were gone, probably feasting on any corpses that hadn't been infected. Their bodies must be aching to be fueled considering the amount of change they were going through in such a short time.

The sealed door of the storage room finally came into view, but the sight of it did little to relieve me. In fact, it only increased the stress, for I knew that the people would now be under our protection and responsibility. It was strain enough just trying to keep one person alive, now we would have about twenty or more to take care of.

The door was hastily opened, and panicked shuffling from the inside was heard. When our flashlights lit up the corners of the room, we saw frightened women and children, with a few men all huddled up in the back. Some let out whimpers of joy when they realized that their saviors had finally arrived, while others held their children close and kissed their heads, telling them it was alright. Destroyer and Duke stayed outside the door to watch the halls, while the rest of us entered. I set Sam down and walked towards the man who had stood apart from the group to speak.

"About time you people showed up. These poor kids have been scared so bad they can barely move. What took you so long?" He spat in my face. I narrowed my eyes to a harsh glare and took a step closer to him, and he shuffled back slightly.

"Be grateful we decided to go through further blood, sweat and tears just to get to you people instead of ditchin' you to save our own asses. Back _down_ sir. We came here to save your life, not listen to you bitch about how long it took us to get here."

He tried to glare back at me for speaking to him like that, but stood no chance against the hardened gaze of a Marine and backed down, returning to his place with the other people. I then dragged my eyes away from him, forgetting the disturbance, and spoke to the group themselves.

"I want you all to listen to me very carefully. There are a lot of you, and only five of us, so we need every bit of cooperation. Is there _anyone_ here with an open wound on the side of their neck, whether they appear dead or alive?" I asked, making sure they could hear every word I said very clearly.

For a moment they all looked at each other, searching to see if anyone fit the description. Then a woman stood from near the back, and all our eyes were instantly on her, surprised that someone in this isolated room could possibly have been infected. I had only asked the question as a precaution.

"Do you have the wound?" I asked her.

"My… my son. He was attacked by that monster, and it bit his neck. I couldn't leave him behind… I'm sorry." She stuttered, tears forming in her eyes and fear evident in her every movement.

"Where is he?" I asked in a calming, but still commanding tone, trying not to frighten her any more than she already was.

She then slowly leaned down and picked up a body from the floor, and the people backed away from her as if she carried the plague. The body was of a boy around the size of perhaps a nine or ten year old. I turned my head to look at Reaper, sharing the pity I felt for the woman. He had a similar expression, but wasn't as willing to show it as I. She came closer to me, her head bowed to see the face of her son. I looked down at him, and tried to keep a straight face when I saw the deformities beginning to form over his features.

"What's wrong with him?" The woman suddenly cried, tears pouring from her eyes, pleading for me to give her an answer.

For a moment I couldn't give her one. I couldn't tell her he was turning into a demon. For one, she probably wouldn't believe me, and two, I couldn't tell a mother that her son was being possessed. How do you say that? It just isn't right.

"He's dead ma'am. I'm sorry… but we can't take him with us. He will only slow us down." I said lowly to her, trying to show my sympathy.

"I understand." She said, which I didn't expect. The woman must know how difficult our job is right now.

"We'll seal the room behind us, so nothing may get to him." I comforted, and she nodded.

"Thank you." She gently set the body of the boy on the floor, then sobered up and stood with her shoulders back. I admired her strength, for she would need that in this place.

"Alright." I said quietly, then cleared my throat and spoke louder. "Come on people. Out the door. You…" I pointed to one of the men. "… help Dr. Grimm here, she has a broken ankle, and will need some assistance."

The man quickly nodded and rushed to Sam's side, helping her to her feet and then joining with the group shuffling towards the door. I didn't move though, I was staring down at the boy lying before my feet. I knew what I had to do.

My hand gripped the pistol in the holster attached to my leg. For a moment I hesitated, then slowly pulled it out, letting it hang at my side. The people were out the door, and Kid and Reaper were about to follow behind them. Reaper paused when he saw I wasn't moving, and knew exactly why.

"Go, we'll be with you in a minute." He spoke to Kid, who glanced knowingly in my direction, then headed out.

I slowly raised the pistol, aiming at the boy's head, but couldn't seem to make my finger pull the trigger just yet. After a few seconds I let out a shaky breath and closed my eyes, frustrated that I couldn't do this simple thing. Then I felt a warm hand place itself over mine, and I knew who it had to be. He placed his lips close to my ear, giving me goose bumps, and his other hand went around my back to rest on my arm.

"I'll do it." He whispered, squeezing me a little.

His touch suddenly gave me the strength. I opened my eyes and swallowed hard, forcing away the pity, for that was what held me back. My finger tightened around the trigger and it clicked, sending a bullet into the boy's head. I then turned my head to face him, waiting for him to say something, anything to help relieve the pain I felt. Where the pain came from was a mystery.

He was so close to my face, too close for any friend to be comfortable with unless they had specific feelings for that person. That was what struck me, for he didn't back away, or appear to be uncomfortable. Maybe… he did have feelings for me.

Unknowingly, I glanced down at his lips. I couldn't help but do it, for he was so close, and the single glance seemed almost instinctive rather than by choice. It was so goddamn tempting to just move in and take his lips right now; but once again, that fear of rejection perked its ugly head up, and I held back.

Reaper's face suddenly moved closer, and his forehead rested against mine. The breath hitched in my throat, and my heart started to accelerate, beating hard against my ribs. He stayed that way for a while, which seemed like hours to me. _Stop doing this to me Reaper. Please, just kiss me. I'm right here waiting for you. I won't pull away._

My heart was aching so badly at this point. Every second that passed was pure torture, and I was begging for it to end. He then leaned in slightly, and my heart started to beat faster, pounding almost painfully in my chest. _Just a little bit more. _His lips went in closer, so much that I swear I could just barely taste him, which was a tantalizing feeling. Then… he stopped, not pulling away, but not going any further either. Was he afraid also? Why should he be? I'm not pushing him away am I, so why would he think I didn't want this? Surely he wouldn't be so mean as to tease me like this, knowing that he was killing me right now. The Reaper I know wouldn't do that.

"We should go. They'll be worrying about us." He whispered.

My heart suddenly came to a halt, and I almost forgot to breathe. He took his hands off me and turned away, walking towards the door. I was absolutely speechless, shocked beyond belief that he actually did that. There was _no _way he just _did_ that.

I looked towards him, watching him as he walked away. He didn't dare look back, but paused at the door when he felt my hot gaze burn a hole through his back. For a moment he turned his head slightly as if to look at me, but thought better of it and just sighed, walking out the door.

I felt my heart break at that moment. How could he do that to me? What kind of friend would do that? He played me. That ass hole played me. Making me think he would kiss me, then ended it so suddenly and walked away. I just… can't believe this. I thought I knew him. I thought he was better than that.

A lump rose in my throat, and I could already feel the tears starting to rise. _Suck it up, Kyra. Crying over this is stupid. _I swallowed hard and narrowed my eyes at the floor, clasping my fingers around the pistol in my hand with a death grip. After taking a few deep breaths, I shoved it back in the holster and straightened up, walking out the door and locking it behind me.

When I faced the hall he was there, waiting for me. That's some nerve he has to still be here, open to confrontation. I just ignored him and stepped by, but was stopped when he grabbed my arm. Angered that he even dreamt of touching me after what he just did, I turned and shot a death glare straight at him. He knew me well by now, and let go of me quickly if he wanted to keep his balls.

"Kyra, I'm s-"

"I don't want to hear a fucking apology. Just stay away from me." I spat those words out like poison, and it stung him in the right place.

"You don't understand, I wasn't trying to hurt you." He defended anxiously.

"Yeah, you tried awfully hard."

"If you'd just listen to me-"

"I don't need to listen to anything you have to say. We should go. They'll be worrying about us." I mimicked, turning away to walk down the hall.

"Damnit Kyra!" He exclaimed in frustration, taking my arm again and pulling me back to him. "You need to fucking _listen_ to me!"

"Take your hands off me!"

"You wanna know why I didn't kiss you? I was afraid, alright? Kissing a girl for the first time ain't that easy, and I'm sorry if I hurt you by running away. I should have just told you I was afraid. I'm really sorry."

"Bullshit."

That struck him, and it struck him hard. It brought up an anger in him that he never thought he would ever let rise up, especially in front of me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? We're best friends for God's sake! Since when have I lied to you? You think I don't care about your feelings? Fine! You think that way! I apologized so my conscience is clear! You don't want to accept my apology then that's your problem! If you can't believe me then maybe we weren't the close friends I thought we were! Despite _everything_ I did for you! You wanna shut me away then do it, it's your fucking choice! Maybe from now on I don't want anything to do with you either!" With that being said, he let go of me and started down the hall.

I watched him leave again, and felt so small. This time I didn't hold back the tears, because this was something serious. He sounded serious, and that's what brought up the lump in my throat. Losing a friend is… unbearably painful, at least to me it is. Why did I reject his apology? When I think about it, I really did believe him. Was it because I was too angry to care? Why was I even angry in the first place?

_Jesus Christ, all this pain over a fucking kiss that barely happened. What's wrong with you Kyra? You really fucked it up this time. Look at him, he's walking away from you, and it's all your fault. You dragged it too far this time._

I choked out a whimper and leaned against the wall, sliding down and curling up right there. This was all just too much. I couldn't handle the emotional stress anymore. That fight wasn't over a kiss, it was me venting all my anger on Reaper. It was the grief of my brother, the loss of good friends, the stress of keeping a threat from reaching the surface, just everything to do with this mission. It was just too damn hard to keep taking it. Instead of making me stronger, this was breaking me. _I just wanna go home. _

My soft cries echoed down the hall, and I didn't give a shit anymore if a zombie or demon heard me. Let them come, I could care less.

_What the fuck is there left for me to do? Everything I've done so far has gotten somebody hurt. This whole plan to blow up the base was stupid from the start. If I wasn't the __**stupid**__ bitch who thought it up then we might just be on the surface, away from this living Hell. _

_Just give it up Kyra. You weren't cut out for this Marine stuff. Everything you've done has messed it up for everyone. If you hadn't been a dumb-ass in that sewer and nearly gotten yourself killed, then maybe Goat and Portman wouldn't have been killed trying to take that thing out on their own. If you hadn't run off on your own to find your brother, then Reaper wouldn't have gotten scratched up, and almost killed. If you hadn't been __**stupid**__ and set those bombs on your own without Duke to watch you back, then everyone wouldn't have had to cease what they were doing to come and help you like some fucking damsel in distress. If you hadn't acted like some naïve teenage girl and fallen head over heels for your best friend, then maybe that 'almost' kiss would never have happened, and he wouldn't be walking away from __**you**__, leaving __**you**__ behind, because __**you**__ took your anger too far. You made everything go wrong here, so do them all a favor and just get out of the way. If you care about them, just keep your burden-of-a-self away, so they don't have to worry about you anymore._

Those depressing thoughts rang in my head, tormenting me, blaming me, making me feel lower than I already felt. Somehow I believed them, that this _was_ my fault. It made me cry even harder, incessantly whimpering through a hurting throat, covering my arm in salty tears. I just couldn't do this anymore. I've been acting like a stuck up bitch, thinking I can just jump into trouble and walk out ok, and I've been selfish. Since when did I think about what the others felt, especially after they risk themselves to save my ungrateful ass? I deserved what Reaper said to me, and I'm not worthy enough to be called his friend. He had every right to walk away from me, to get angry, and take my words and shove them back in my face.

_Come on Kyra. Just go home. Get to that elevator and go home. Forget the charges, the squad, the civilians, and forget your brother. He doesn't have a sister to look up to anymore, because you failed him and everyone here who put their trust in you. Just go._

I raised my head and banged it against the wall, looking at the ceiling through blurry eyes. A few times I sucked in deep inhales of air, trying to push that lump down. The painful feeling remained, however, and the tears still fell. I sniffed a few times and ran a hand over my head, pushing the stray bangs out of my face and fitting them behind my ears. Then I pushed up against the wall, sliding up it using my legs and stood. I turned my head to look down the hall where Reaper had gone. He had disappeared around the corner, and after all this time of me sitting here, crying my eyes out, whimpering, he still didn't come back.

_I guess we really weren't the good friends I thought we were too. If he really cared like he said he did, then a real friend would have come back. Guess I really screwed up… big time. _

Right now this wasn't about how much I loved him, but the fact that I just lost him.There was no point in joining up with the squad. I was in no state to fight with them anyway, and I've caused enough trouble already.

I closed my red, swollen eyes and turned my head to the floor, choking out yet another whimper but quickly trying to swallow the next one down. I reached for the com in my ear and took it out, tossing it to the floor. I wouldn't be needing it anymore. My body slowly turned towards the opposite hall, and I started walking down it. I didn't even have the will power to take a knife from its sheath at my leg, just in case something decided to jump out at me. Oh well, if I died quick then I was happy, and if I didn't die quick, then I should have enough time to take a stupid knife out to defend myself. Either way, it still won't matter, I won't be a burden.


	13. Chapter 13

Reaper stopped in his tracks when he had disappeared around the corner, and for a moment he just stood there. He turned and leaned against the wall, beating it with his head a few times before letting out a shaky sigh and pulling away. My cries reached his ears, and he closed his eyes to listen to them. It was his fault. Why did he say those things? He didn't mean them. _She needs you John. You hear her crying, and it isn't just because of you. You know how much she's been through. When she needed help it was you she always came to, and you always came to the rescue. Now you've made her think she lost you. Be a man and go back there. Face the damn problem._

He opened his eyes and peeked around the corner. Every single ounce of anger he had felt a few minutes ago just disappeared and was replaced with every soft and gentle emotion he could possibly identify when he saw my shaking, crying form curled up against the wall. I looked so alone and defeated, pathetic, and the sight was tearing him to pieces.

He pulled his head away and banged it against the wall again. How did this happen? _Damnit, I should have just kissed her. Why didn't I swallow up the nerves and just go for it? What am I thinking? This isn't because of a kiss. That anger wasn't because of a kiss that didn't happen. That's just too stupid to have us fighting like that. What the hell caused all this? _

He stood there for a few minutes, thinking over the options that he had. Leaving was instantly ruled out, for he cared too much about me to just leave. He could walk over there right now and try to calm me down, but then he thought twice about it. I'd probably fight him, scream at him to go away, tell him I didn't want him to even exist anymore. Then again, perhaps I was too broken to fight back.

Just the word 'broken' made his heart start tearing into pieces again, for he _never_ thought he would see me in that state, and he prayed that I wasn't. He would shoot himself if he ever caused my spirit to break, if he put out that fire that raged so freely inside of me. Hell… he would break down and cry his heart out right in front of me if only it would make me feel better, if only it would make me realize just how sorry he was.

He could approach me, stay at a safe distance, and try to get through to me that way. Somehow that didn't seem good enough to him. It seemed close to cowardice, and he's been enough of that lately. If he put space between him and I while he tried to calm me down, I would only hate him more, because if he really was sorry then he'd be able to stand and take the hits I might throw at him.

_She came to me because she could trust me, feel protected. How can she feel protected if I act like a coward who can't face up to her and sort out the serious issues at hand? I love her. I don't want her to think that way about me. I want her to feel safe with me, to be comfortable and know that I'll never leave her. I'll face her. If she fights me then I won't defend myself or fight back, and I won't run away. I'll just keep trying. She could break my nose, kick me in the balls as many times as she wants, hurt me till I'm too limp to even move, but I still won't run away from her. If I can do that, she'll realize it. She'll know I'm there for good, maybe even realize I love her. Heh, if she ever does hurt me that bad, then I hope she takes me up and holds me, saying she's sorry that she beat me up. Then try to make the pain go away and do whatever to make me feel better. Fat chance… but I can dream can't I?_

_Alright… I'm gonna do it. The squad and Sam are probably confused and worried shitless right now, but this has to be sorted out._

"Duke." He said through the com quietly.

"_Where the hell are you man?"_

"Near the storage room. It'll be a while before Ice and I meet up with you. She's… in a wreck right now."

"_How is she?"_

"She's…" He let out a sigh and glanced up at the ceiling for a moment. "She needs me right now. I'll try to meet up with you guys as soon as I can. Just keep going. Don't forget to set the bombs."

"_We can't set them until we're sure you're out of the sector Reaper."_

"Fine… uh… I have about four with me. I'll set them when we get the chance."

"_Alright."_

Reaper then cut off the conversation and took a deep breath. He was going do this, and do it right. He was going make me see him, his pride spilled on the floor, and on his hands and knees with shame in front of me if he had to. Never had he been so ashamed of himself for saying something, but this was different. This time… it was with me, and he was going to fix this.

Reaper ran a hand through his hair. His nerves were already acting up, but he tried to calm them down with some deep breathing. It had to be now, not when he felt like it. He pushed himself off of the wall and turned the corner, eyes going straight for where I had been sitting. His body came to an abrupt stop when he found that I had disappeared. All that was left was my com, tossed carelessly to the floor. He rushed over and leaned down, picking it up and looking at it in frustration. I was gone.

"Damnit John! You really _fucked_ it up this time!" He shouted to himself, striking the wall with his fist. _I gotta find her. She could get hurt again and I can't let that happen. She couldn't have gone far._

He pocketed the com and stood up, looking down the opposite hall. It was the only way I could have gone. A hardened, determined expression spread across his face, and he erected his gun. He quickly jogged in that direction, wanting to catch up as soon as possible.

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It was about five minutes ago that I had started off. My whimpers were quieted by now, but the tears still fell freely down my cheeks, dripping off the edge of my chin to soak up in my wife beater. The top of the jumpsuit I wore was unzipped and hanging off my hips so I could cool off, even though the front was ripped up anyway. I had taken Reaper's vest off, but took anything from its pockets that I needed, like extra clips, grenades, and sharp objects. There was no point in wearing it, especially when I never needed it in the first place. He'd probably want it back anyway.

I wanted to hate him, so _so_ much; but for some reason… I couldn't. I also couldn't hate him because… well… he's Reaper. What right do I have to hate the man who was a good friend from the start? He's risked his life for me, saved my life even before he knew me, and given me so much when he didn't have to. Again, it makes me wonder what the hell happened. Maybe I just burned too many bridges with my rash behavior lately.

I wondered what to do when I got out of this place. Maybe go back to the barracks and get my stuff, then leave for the nearest hotel until I can get a flight to Oklahoma. It would be nice to return home, to the town of Waynoka, to the family house. I could settle down, pretend none of this disaster ever happened, forget the RRTS, and forget Reaper. They wouldn't find me there.

_What about Will? He won't be so easy to forget._

That thought made me slow down a little.

_Remember? Do you remember what you said to Mom before she died? "I'll take care of him the best I can. I promise. You can count on me." You can't just leave him here Kyra. It'll torture you for the rest of your life and you know it. _

I let out a sigh and stopped, crouching down and resting my elbows on my knees with my head bent. No, I couldn't leave him. I may have let everyone down, but my mother was no exception. She's counting on me, and I promised her. Shit, I promised myself that I would stomp through Hell if it meant my brother wouldn't die before me. How could I have known that the exaggeration of that promise was in fact the reality of the situation right now? A fucking promise is a promise, and I don't ever break them so lightly.

I reached under my jumpsuit and into a pocket, pulling out the letter I had placed in there. It was Will's letter, the last one he sent me. I took it out of the envelope and opened it up again, rereading the whole thing. It refreshed my mind a little, resetting it to focus on what my goal was from the start. My eyes closed and I folded it back up, holding it for a while.

_I need to find him. _

Suddenly I heard running footsteps coming from the hall behind me. I opened my eyes and quickly stood, turning to see who it was. Someone shot around the corner, looking down both ends of the corridor frantically until they found me. My swollen eyes were still a little blurry from the tears and I couldn't see who it was very clearly, but when he called my name I felt my heart stop again.

I shook my head. _No, he can't be here. Why did he follow me? _

He was paused in his place, looking at me as I slowly shook my head and was making to take a step back. He took a step forward, starting to walk my way, but I went backwards to keep the distance the same. He noticed this and paused again, realizing that, unfortunately for him, I didn't want to be in his presence. That wouldn't stop him though. If he had to run me down and tackle me to the floor, then he would do it. As long as he got his words through to me, then he would be satisfied and leave the future of our relationship for me to decide.

The tears were forming back in my eyes. _Why the fuck is he here? He made it clear he didn't want anything to do with me._

Suddenly he started to run, going at a speeding sprint towards me, making me take a few quick steps back.

"Kyra, look out! MOVE!" He shouted, and I swear I never saw him run so fast. I realized that something must be behind me, so I turned around quickly. Nothing was there. Then something long wrapped itself around my neck and I was violently yanked into the air towards the ceiling. It had a tight squeeze around my throat so I couldn't even voice a shout when my neck cracked painfully. My body was dragged into the ceiling, and I heard Reaper shout my name again before the darkness surrounded me. I had no idea where this thing was that had a tentacle or tail wrapped around my neck, and I tried blindly to get a knife out, but the creature had slammed me against something, and I was temporarily dazed. I could feel the pain in my chest from the lack of air reaching my lungs, for I had let a lot of it out in shock when I was yanked up. My face was turning red by now, and the grip around my throat didn't slacken.

Then I remembered the letter. I dropped it! Where did it go? Something hissed in my ear, and it hit me that this just might be the thing that bit me earlier. That snakelike creature. That thought brought all of it out. My anger, all the stuff I've been through in this place, is just burning in the pit of my stomach, fueling a seriously fed up rage in me. I had just about had enough of this shit. These demons are gonna _learn_ that I ain't going down. Not then, not now, not ever. If this piece of shit thinks it can get me like it did before, then this bitch is gon' get stabbed. This time, I'm going to _make _it scream in pain. Now… where did I leave that knife?

Its tail loosened around my neck and long claws grabbed my legs, dragging me a few feet till I found that its head was above me. It leaned down and barred long black fangs a foot from my face. Embedded in its snout, still, was my knife.

"Just leave me the fuck _alone_!" I screamed, reaching for the knife and pulling it out, causing warm droplets to spray on my face. I struck out and it backed away a little to dodge the blade, then made to attack me with its mouth. This I noticed, so I brought the knife back and it drove into the thing's head. The creature backed away, causing the blade to slice through its head. A pleased sneer spread across my face when I heard it wail in agony, before the ground shook as it hit the floor… dead.

Leaning back and gasping for breath, I closed my eyes and dropped the blade to rest a bit. That thing had almost strangled me to the point of unconsciousness, so the feel of air finally coming into my lungs was heavenly.

"Kyra." I heard Reaper say from below, and I suddenly remembered he was there. My eyes opened but I didn't answer him.

"Kyra." He said again, only his voice sounded a lot more concerned this time. He probably thinks I'm hurt badly, or worse. "Kyra, if you're alive please answer me." He pleaded.

For a moment I still didn't say anything. Why did he care? I didn't want to face him or confront him in any way. I couldn't handle it.

"Please, just go away Reaper." I said loud enough for him to hear.

"Are you alright?"

"I said go away." I said raggedly, for the lump rose once more and the tears were coming out again.

"Please, come down."

I let out a shaky sigh. He wasn't listening, and he wasn't going to go away. It was kind of pointless for him to try and talk to me now. I sat up and pulled my legs to my chest, hugging them and burying my face there. After almost a minute of silence Reaper's voice reached my ears again, and I opened my eyes at the tone he was using. I could hear the compassion, the guilt, and the gentleness that he intended.

"I was wrong." He said. "I said and did everything wrong. I hurt you and didn't bother to think about what affect it may have on you."

I tried to sober up a little, but it was difficult because I still felt all the depression, and it was weighing down on me hard. However, his apology disguised in a confession did help. So I continued to listen.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you and walked off like that. I know how much you've been through and the stress you're under right now. The last thing you need is to think you're losing a friend because of a stupid little fight."

"It wasn't just you, Reaper. It's everything. It's this place." I choked out through the tears.

I heard him sigh, and he was walking somewhere. Maybe he was leaving me again.

He backed himself up, and then jolted towards the opposite wall, running up it and then pushing off. It gave him the extra height to be able to grip the grates, and he reached for the edge of the hole in the ceiling. He had succeeded, and was now pulling himself up into the space. My eyes shot towards the hole and I saw his head come up. He lifted himself until he was inside, and I found that I had no where to go. The dead creature was blocking a way to run from him, and he could easily keep me from going the other way. He took a moment to look around and find me in the dark, and quickly did so just by hearing my sniffing. I uncurled and rushed to the other side of the space, trying to get away from him as he started to crawl over. It was hardly a helpful tactic, for as I kept doing it he was getting closer to cornering me, and eventually he did.

He came close enough to touch, and I curled up again, backed up against the wall with no where to go.

"Please Reaper, just leave me alone." I pleaded.

"No." He said to that, coming close enough to take me up in an embrace, which I hoped he wouldn't do. If he did then I would just go limp in his arms, crying till my eyes went dry, holding onto him and hoping that what happened was just a dream. That we were still friends and he wouldn't walk away. I didn't want to be in that weak and dependant state.

"I need you to listen Kyra. This has to be fixed. I didn't come to hurt you again." He tried to comfort. "I came to make this right."

"I can't deal with this now. God, I can't do it anymore."

"All you have to do is listen to me. Don't do anything but listen to what I have to say."

"Just leave me, please!" I shouted, pushing him away and trying to get past him. He turned and wrapped an arm around my waste, pulling me back to him and then yanking my legs out from under me so I was lying on the floor. Then he moved on top of me, holding my squirming legs down with his, and fighting my hands for a few seconds before holding them down beside my head. I screamed at him to let me go, but he just stayed there and didn't move. It would be easy for me to get him off, considering how much my strength surpassed his, but I couldn't find the heart to hurt him. Despite what he was doing, I still couldn't hurt him.

"Ssshhh." He gently hushed in my ear, putting his cheek softly against mine. The feel of him against me and the sound of his voice was so comforting. I couldn't help but calm down a little. Love just sucks like that. There's no way for you to resist that someone's warm and gentle touch, their soft and compassionate voice, and their pungent yet pleasant scent. It had such an effect on me that I had become relatively still beneath him, closing my eyes tightly so that the tears were squeezed out, sliding down my cheek.

He kept whispering soft hushes in my ear, relieving the grip he had on my wrists as I slowly calmed down. My tears touched his cheek, and he lifted his head to look down at me. When I opened my eyes back up, they met his, and I let out a shaky breath at how close he was. He slowly leaned in and my eyes closed as he kissed the tear away. Then he put his forehead against mine, and that déjà vu feeling popped up. Last time he did this he was about to kiss me, and that's what started this whole mess. I didn't want it to happen again, so I leaned my head down to keep my lips in a difficult place for him to reach. He didn't appear to care much and kept his head against mine.

"Listen to this, and I want you to remember it." He whispered, making me meet his eyes again. "I will _always_ be here. _Never_ will you lose me. No matter how much I may hate you at times, it won't change the fact that I care for you almost more than I do my own sister. If I ever walk away, I won't go very far. I'll always be in calling distance and someplace where you can reach me. I promise you that. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

I took a deep, calming breath, and then let it out in a waver, still trying to cease the tears. For some reason I couldn't voice the words to answer him. I just didn't have it in me, but he continued anyway. He knew what my answer was.

"You know what it's like when people get mad. Most of the time they say things they don't mean. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's never what I wanted."

I couldn't describe how uplifted I was by what he was saying. It turned out that he did care and I was just being stupid, thinking Reaper would do something like that to me on purpose. I can't believe I ever thought he could be like that, no matter how bad we might have gone at each other. Maybe it was just the stress.

I pulled my wrists out of his gentle grip and put my hands on his waste, gripping the fabric of his clothing and pulling him down to me. My arms then wrapped around him and I hugged him tightly, molding myself into his body so that I could feel him everywhere. He then brought the weight off my legs and set his knees on the outsides of mine, pushing himself up off the floor and taking me with him so that he could fit his arms around me for an embrace. Our foreheads were still pressed together, and he didn't want to move from that position. He wanted to be able to look me in the eyes, to have our faces this close together, for he wanted to do what he's always wanted to do.

My hand slid from his back to the back of his neck, then moved through his hair and to his face, where I caressed him gently. He let out a satisfied breath and leaned into my hand slightly, moving his head down to try and catch my gaze with his. I looked into those hazel-green eyes so deeply that I was almost lost, and I thought I would never be able to look away because I found a sense of peace and safety in those orbs.

"Can you forgive me?" He asked in a gentle whisper. There was a pause before I could find a way to answer.

"Only if you can." I said. He wouldn't say 'what for', because he knew what I meant. I wasn't asking him to forgive me for just getting angry, but for everything. For running off more than once, for hitting him, shouting cold things to his face, and just being a difficult bitch. Well, he didn't think of me as a bitch, but I did.

His answer would be simple, and bring out more than just forgiveness and being forgiven himself. This, hopefully, will get his feelings across without him having to come up with the sudden courage to say them himself. He wasn't ready for that.

He brought his hand up to my face and wiped away what tears were left on my cheeks. I still gazed so deeply into him, wandering into places I had never been to before, and I loved what I saw. He was so beautiful, his soul and everything associated to him, compassionate. It was at that moment, and I felt it, that my heart was placed to him, and never would it be able to turn away. He took it, and I would never get it back. I don't know how it happened, but it did. It didn't seem very long ago that I really felt these feelings reveal themselves to me, which was naught but almost seven or eight hours ago. I lost the time. Maybe it meant that I had been in love with him long before, I just didn't know it yet. Friendship can do that to you, because you know you love that person, but you can't determine what kind of love it is. Since I had never been in love before, I wasn't sure if the way I felt about him was just because we were close friends, or because I felt something more. Now I knew, and it was a relief to finally feel this.

He leaned in very slowly, giving me time to process what he was doing. I just kept looking into his eyes, waiting for that single moment when things would just fall into place for once. This had to be that perfect moment. Hell and Heaven are just gonna have to leave us alone for a few seconds, just for this to happen. Just for the sake of it. Those murderous demons and meddling angels need to step back and let our two hearts finally just come together naturally, nothing interrupting it.

He was only a breath away now. This was it. It was going to happen now, and I didn't care that it wasn't in the most romantic of places, only that it would happen. When my eyes are closed and all I feel is him, it won't matter if there's a dead demon somewhere next to me, or that we're in the most uncomfortable and tiny of places. It just won't exist.

Only one second left, and that's when it happened. His lips pressed very lightly against mine, and I closed my eyes, savoring the soft, warm, wet touch. Just this one simple, small touch… and I was lost. It was all it took to have my heart beating madly, probably ecstatic that it was finally getting what it wanted. I didn't care, it still felt good. Even the butterflies in my stomach felt good; and all because they were related to this kiss.

He opened his mouth and pressed it further against my lips, covering and trapping them there. My lips parted slightly, wanting to open up to him, and he captured them intensely, not giving me any chance to stray away from him or part the kiss. This was that one moment he was waiting for, and it was going to be right the first time, unlike the former disaster.

My hand went from his face down to his chest, and the other started to run through his hair. It was still damp from the sweat, but I didn't care. If it was a part of him then it didn't matter what state it was in. Everything about him was perfect, no matter what it was or what other people thought.

The one arm that he had wrapped around my waste then tightened, pressing me harder against him, while his hand continued to caress my face gently. I might have groaned at the backbreaking hold he had around me, but instead I kissed him harder, putting as much passion into it as he was. His embrace was always as comforting and safe as it ever was, so the closer he held me then the better I felt.

He then started to lean against me, pushing me backwards until I felt my back rest against the floor. His arm moved from around my waste, and instead he had the hand set at my hip. The hand I had on his chest then slid out from under him, going around his back and holding him there. I then felt him shift on top of me, placing one of his legs between mine so that his weren't spread so uncomfortably. His hand on my cheek then slid back, reaching for the band that held my hair up. He pulled it out, and instantly his fingers were running through the long and dark brown strands. It felt so good to him, and he's wanted to do it on countless occasions, especially in the most tempting of times. That night when he first danced with me in the club, he wanted to lean down and kiss me, taking the rare chance of seeing me with my hair down to do what he wanted. Maybe it was the alcohol that had him thinking about it, but it sure as hell started his growing need to take me for himself. Now there were no restraints, and he could do this freely.

His lips then moved away from mine, kissing his way along my jaw and then down my neck. I let out a pleasant gasp, rubbing his scalp to try and give him as much pleasure as he was giving me. He brought his face back up to mine, and I opened my eyes to look back at him. He leaned down and took my mouth again, this time very softly. I relaxed under him and closed my eyes, bringing my hand down to his face again. It was the most wonderful feeling to know that this had finally happened. This is what I've wanted, and for once I have it.

He pressed his lips tenderly to mine for one last moment, then pulled away to rest his head against me again. For a moment I just looked up into his eyes, a small smile on my face.

"Is that a yes?" I said in a faraway whisper, still quite dazed by the kiss.

He just smiled and pecked me on the lips. "Yeah, that's a yes."

I then wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his head down so that it rested beside mine. For a few seconds I held him like that, until he rolled both of us onto our sides and put his arms around my waste, squeezing me in that backbreaking hold again. My head turned and I buried it into his neck, sighing and breathing in his scent. He then planted a soft kiss on my neck, just below the jaw and where it ended under my ear. I let out a gasp and tightened, making him pause. For a moment he was confused as to why I reacted like that, but then it hit him. It brought a grin to his face.

"You're ticklish there." He stated. "So you do have a ticklish spot."

"Not true." I quickly argued. I remembered back when he and Duke had a personal goal of discovering my ticklish spot. After about two days of holding me down and tickling me in every place possible, they gave up.

He kissed me there again, and I let out a chuckle, loosening my hold around his neck to try and push away from him, but he wasn't going to let go.

"Yes you are. Prepare for torture." He teased, and I tried frantically to get away to no avail.

"No! Reaper don't!" I screamed, but he continued to kiss me there. When I begged him to stop for a fourth time, he finally ceased and pulled his head back to look at me, that smile still stretched across his face.

"Knew it had to be somewhere." He chuckled. I punched him in the chest, causing him to let out a grunt and take an arm from around me so he could put pressure on where I punched him. "Not there." He groaned painfully, and I suddenly remembered that he was hurt.

"I'm so sorry!" I apologized frantically, taking his face in my hands and kissing him. "I forgot about the wounds."

"It's ok." He let out with a slight chuckle. "You should get my shirt unbuttoned again. See if they've started bleeding." A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"Kiss em' and make em' better?" I joked.

"That'd be nice."

"Maybe some other time."

He let out a disappointed groan and leaned in, grasping my mouth with his again. I gladly pushed back against him, and suddenly felt something warm and wet glide between my lips. It was a shock for a few seconds, but then I parted my lips more. He slid his tongue into my mouth, making me let out a short moan before reaching out to tangle with him. Damn, he tasted so good. There were still faint remnants of blood to taste between us, but it was easily fogged over by his dominant and heavenly flavor.

After a minute he parted from me. I looked at him with a pout, disappointed that he had stopped.

"You dropped a few things." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper. It was my brother's letter, and I took it from him with a smile.

"Thanks." I said, kissing him on the lips briefly.

"I think you might want this back too." He stuck his hand in his pocket again, taking out what I recognized as a com. He tucked the hair behind my ears and placed the com there, fitting it securely. After that he just continued to play with my hair, running it through his fingers and looking me in the eyes. My body was so relaxed and warm with him against me that my tiredness started creeping up again. It was now that I truly felt how drained my body was. I slowly closed my eyes, falling into a slight doze, and he continued to sooth me.

For a while we stayed like that, before his warm whisper reached my ears, making me open my eyes.

"You're so beautiful." He said, and I couldn't help but blush a little, pulling an embarrassed smile and turning my gaze away from his. He noticed this and smiled, ducking his head to push against mine, so that I could look at him. When I did he just leaned in and kissed me. "It's true." He stressed, making me blush even more.

"Ok, no need to keep embarrassing me." I said.

"I'm only telling the truth. No need to get aggressive." He replied sarcastically.

Too tired to continue the play, I just gave a sigh of defeat and rested my head on his shoulder. He smiled and brought his hand down to my belly, lifting up the fabric of the shirt to lightly run his fingers along my hardened stomach.

"Never thought I would actually have you one day." He said lowly, almost to himself.

"Wasn't easy was it?" I asked in the same whisper, keeping my eyes closed.

"It almost killed me… but I definitely think it was worth it." He paused, and I opened my eyes slightly to meet his. "I think you're worth dying for."

"Sweet talker." I called him with a grin.

"Nothin' wrong with it if I mean it." I chuckled a little at that. Then my fingers started to graze his cheek, moving back to run through his hair once again.

"True."

There were another few moments of silence, before I suddenly realized that there was so much to do. The civilians, my brother, and blowing up this facility. It all just came rushing back to me in seconds.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"I told Duke that we'd be a while. They went on."

"We should get going then. The three of them can't protect those people by themselves." I stated, shifting in his arms so I could sit up. He loosed his hold and raised us both.

"Alright. Let's go." He said disappointedly, crawling over to the hole and slipping down. I heard him let out a grunt as his feet hit the floor. I hung my legs down through the hole and gripped the sides, slipping over the edge and dangling there for a second before dropping down to the floor. He caught me around the waste on the way so my feet didn't land on the marble, and my hands gripped his shoulders till he gently set me down.

"I'll have to get used to this." I stated, smiling up at him. He gave a questioning look.

"What?"

"This… _compassionate _and _romantic_ side of John Grimm. It wasn't until this mission that you started to act like this." I stressed the word compassionate dramatically, making him smile and press another tender kiss to my lips.

"I didn't think you needed to see that side of me until now."

I slipped my arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace. He gave no hint of protest and pressed his head against mine, squeezing me.

"When we get out of here, things are gonna be so different." I stated.

"Yeah… it is." He replied in a far away tone.

"I can't leave yet though."

He paused and loosened his hold, pulling me away and looking at me with that questioning look again.

"Turning my brother back is a little far fetched, but I won't leave him here knowing that he'll be in that form forever. If I can't change him back… I'll kill him. At least that way he can go on."

I waited for him to express some kind of protest, but instead he just looked me in the eyes and had that small smile on his face. He put his forehead against mine.

"I know I won't be able to stop you." He said. I was a little relieved, because now I knew I would have one less person to fight with over the subject. "I'll help you find him."

"Thanks Re…" I stopped for a moment, battling on whether to use the name I always called him, or his real one. He noticed my tension.

"John." He finished for me, and I laughed.

"I'll have to get used to that too." I said. "John…" I tested the name as the fell from my lips. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Good. So… we gonna stand here like some dumbstruck lovebirds or go kill some demons and do the lovebird stuff later?" He asked.

"Hmm… killing demons sounds nice." I replied, sliding out of his embrace and taking the pistol from his leg holster on the way without him noticing. "Doing the lovebird stuff later sounds even better." I flashed a cheeky grin and turned to start walking down the hall, leaving him to think over my hint.

"Did I detect a little mischief in that tone?" He asked in amusement, taking his own gun from the floor and following.

"Did you?" I called without looking over my shoulder.

His smile turned to a grin and he took longer strides to catch up with me. When he brushed my shoulder to get past, I felt a hand glide across my ass, making me raise an eyebrow at him as he continued on.

"I may be playful, but I ain't dirty." I stated.

"Well then you're given off the wrong hints." He teased, looking back at me.

I smiled and walked faster, brushing past him as he had done to me and then running my hand along his ass, giving an ever so slight squeeze. Then I continued on with a grin. He paused for a moment and looked at me in surprise.

"Or maybe you are." I said back.

He was silent after that, and quickly started off again. When this was over, then he would continue this little war. For now he was satisfied with just watching me strut away in front as if he just got owned. Well, maybe he did, but it didn't matter if he didn't mind. He was probably wrapped around my finger anyways. _Damn, I sure hope her brother hadn't seen this. If he did, I bet my fate is already sealed. By the end of this, I may be needing __**her**__ protection. _


	14. Chapter 14

Apparently, after a few minutes of conversing with Duke, they were resting in the Ark room. There was a run-in with some zombies, who literally jumped out of no where and almost chopped Kid's head off… again. Luckily there were only a few and no one was hurt. Reaper and I were now very close to them, and personally I couldn't wait to reunite with my boys. It felt like I had been away from them for too long.

They noticed our entrance immediately, and I saw relief written all over their faces. Duke smiled in my direction and gave me a knowing look with a wink. I cocked an eyebrow at the gesture, but quickly shrugged it off. Reaper was greeted with an embrace by Sam, whispering her concerns for him in his ear. Duke didn't tell her where her brother had gone after they left the storage room, so she only assumed the worst had happened. I smiled in their direction, and he glanced at me with a small smirk. His sister hadn't embraced him like this in a long time, and it made him so happy to know what it felt like again. He really loves her, despite the past, and the thought warmed my heart. It made me long for my brother at that moment. Duke then approached me, drawing my attention to him. He took me into an embrace, which shocked me all the way to suspicion. Duke doesn't usually hug me, unless I almost died of course.

"Ya'll used protection right?" He asked cheekily in my ear. I would have ripped him up right at that moment, but there were too many witnesses.

"What the fuck are you talking about Duke?" I came back, frustrated.

"You and Reaper were gone for a while." He hinted.

"We did not have sex, are you crazy?" I whispered in shock.

"Ah, but something happened! You didn't deny that!" He whispered ecstatically. I pulled back from the embrace and cocked an annoyed eyebrow at him. "What? Think your best friend doesn't know when you're in _love_?"

"How the hell would you think of something like that?" I asked in shock, glancing around to see if anyone was watching.

"You don't think I notice the difference in how you act when he's around, Ice. You might not, but I do."

I wanted to slap him, but I loved him too much. Instead I just gave a slight smile and leaned in.

"Say a word and you're dead." I threatened playfully. He just nodded triumphantly.

"Did you guys set the bombs in that sector?" He asked.

"Uh… no." I answered slowly, turning towards Reaper. He cursed to himself and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Sorry Duke. It kinda… slipped my mind." He apologized, and I chuckled inside as he glanced in my direction.

"It's ok. When the other three sectors collapse, nothing will be getting in or out of this facility. Whatever's in there will suffocate when the air runs out." I stated. He just nodded, and after a few seconds of looking over the civilians, he continued.

"We're less than ten minutes away from the elevator, maybe a little more if we run into trouble." Then he paused, leaning in towards me so that no one else could hear. "Ice, zombies aren't the worst in this place, and they're changing fast. If we run into one of the big ones someone's gonna get hurt or worse. We simply don't have enough guns to protect these people as much as we want to. We can't guarantee that all of them are going to make it through-"

"I know. That's why the faster we move, the less of a chance that we do run into one of the big ones." I interrupted in a whisper.

"But what _if_ we run into one?" He insisted.

I sighed and looked down at the floor for a moment, thinking.

"You'll keep going. I'll stay to hold it off. While I fight it you can make a run for it. I'm the only one who can battle it face to face." I answered.

"No-" He began, but stopped and thought for a moment. He sighed when he saw the stern look on my face. "Fuck, I probably wouldn't be able to stop you anyway." I grinned and patted him on the head.

"I'm proud of you Duke. You're finally getting it." I teased.

"Yeah yeah… can't help caring can I?" He countered. Just then, I heard someone whimpering painfully behind me, near the civilians. Everyone noticed and turned their attention towards the sound. It was a man, lying face-up on the floor, grasping his forearm and closing his eyes tightly in agony. I saw tears slowly forming in his eyes. Blood was leaking through the fingers holding his arm, and I began to grow tremendously concerned when a large lump was twitching on the side of his neck. My instincts were sensing something extremely… eerie about it. Something wasn't right, and I had a feeling it wasn't natural either. The lump seemed to have a length, and it was noticeably throbbing like a… living thing… I suppose is a way to describe it. It was moving up his neck, and soon enough, disappeared through his jaw. Everything seemed quiet for a few seconds. People were waiting to see what would happen next.

"What's wrong with him mommy?" I heard a little girl ask. Her mother had no answer, and I don't even think she heard the child. She seemed much too frightened, or perhaps anxious, to give her attention to anything other than the one thing that made her uneasy.

Suddenly the man's eyes opened, and the civilians jumped away from him with a start, some screaming. His eyes were very dark, animalistic like the demons, but they were outlined in red. His whimpering stopped. It was almost like what he was doing before had never happened. He sat up very slowly, not moving anything but the necessary muscles to lift him up, which gave him that freaky… robot look I suppose. Only more… dead. The squad raised their guns and pointed them at him warily. There was good reason to suspect he was 'turning'.

"What's… urgh… wrong… with me?" The man asked to no one in a familiarly guttural tone. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration, barring sharp teeth and growling through them. He screamed. For a second he tried to fight with himself, but then stopped and became the cold zombie like person again. He looked towards a child sitting four or five feet away from him. I recognized the look he was giving. It was the one the scientist was giving Reaper and I in Carmack's office when he had been eating all the animals. It was the look a hungry predator gave prey. Immediately I went into action.

"Shoot him!" I shouted, opening fire with the pistol. I struck him in the head, expecting him to die instantly. Everyone else must have expected it too, because they didn't shoot.

The man turned his head in my direction, completely unfazed by the bullet. My eyes widened in shock and complete disbelief. I shot him in the head again. His reaction was an evil grin, and a deep laugh that sent chills up and down my spine. He began to stand, still looking at me with that predatory gaze.

"You're giving him much trouble…mmm… _mortal_ Seraph." He chanted to me. My face twisted in confusion. "He would have already been victorious… mmm… if it wasn't for _you_…" He then snarled before continuing. "…and your _brother_."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. He took one step towards me, causing Reaper to erect his gun threateningly in reaction. The man noticed this and turned to him.

"_You!_" He shouted angrily, letting out a low snarl in Reaper's direction. Then he smiled, as if a mischievous plan had just erupted in his brain. He glanced at me, then back at Reaper. "You don't know her as much as you think you do… Jonathan Grimm."

Reaper knew what the man was going to try to do, and he wouldn't tolerate it. "Shut up." He threatened, tightening the hold of the rifle in his hands.

"Neither does she." The man continued, and that made Reaper pause, but his threatening look remained. "Lover? You don't love her enough to tell her, do you?"

"Shut up." Reaper said again, more menacingly this time. I looked at him, ignoring the shocked glances of my squad that were passing between us.

"Satan knows everything. He knows your dark secret Jonathan Grimm."

_Satan? Could this man be from Hell? A messenger perhaps? What does he mean about John? What sort of 'dark secret' could he be keeping?_

"He knows what really happened here. He knows about your parents." He continued, and I noticed Reaper start to shake. His face was strained and turning red. I wasn't sure why. "He knows what you did."

"SHUT UP!" Reaper screamed.

"It's your fault they're dead. You let them die." The man continued to harass, starting to walk towards him. "You shouldn't have been fiddling with the beams John."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Reaper shouted again, tears forming in his eyes.

"John, what's he talking about?" Sam asked in a concerned tone. "What did you do?"

He looked at his sister desperately. "I-it was an accident. I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't."

"John… what did you do?" She asked again, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She was thinking the worst.

"Tell her John. You've procrastinated long enough. The truth hurts, doesn't it?" The man said evilly. I couldn't bear seeing John like this. Tears were silently falling down his cheek, and he doesn't cry about just anything. This must have been extremely serious to have him in such a state. The pressure of everyone watching, the harassing man, and his sister putting pressure on him wasn't helping. I wanted to put a stop to it.

"_John_. What did you do to the beams? Is it your fault they collapsed?" Sam continued to demand, and it was making him weaker, preventing words from leaving his mouth. "Tell me _now_! I need to know!" She cried, tears falling from her cheeks.

"I… it was an accident Sam-" He tried to say, but the man interrupted again.

"That's the lie you've been telling yourself all these years. Tell the truth-"

"It _was_ an accident! I know it was! You think I wanted my parents dead?" He shouted unsteadily.

"I don't know. Did you?" He said with a grin.

"SHUT UP! You're trying to turn everyone against me! You're trying to make my own sister think I killed my parents!"

"Well, that's the truth isn't it?" The man asked serenely. That completely set me off. I couldn't stand it any longer. Seeing Reaper like this was breaking my heart. I didn't want to see it any longer.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted. Reaper looked at me anxiously, suddenly realizing that I was there. It comforted him tremendously. I hurried to his side and touched his hand, pushing the rifle down. He let it drop despairingly to his side, looking me in the eyes, desperately trying to find some sort of hint that I didn't believe what was being said. He needed to know that I wasn't listening to the lies. I took his hand and twisted my fingers through his, caressing his face gently and turning it away from the staring people. We shared a short moment of loving gazes. I wanted to let him know that I was here, that I was going to stand by his side right now.

"It's ok. It's ok John. Don't listen to him." I whispered.

"How can you even look at her John? You lied. You killed your own parents and told her they died in an accident. Knowing that you murdered your own parents, do you think she can feel the same?" The man continued.

"You think I could believe you? I know him." I said in his direction, and I heard Reaper heave a sigh of relief. The man laughed shrilly, sending shivers up and down my spine.

"_Know_ him! You didn't even know your own brother Kyra! Why would your _good_ and _angel_ of a brother turn into a demon, huh? You didn't know William. Not like you think you did."

"Don't you dare fucking say his name!" I shouted, making to charge at him, but Reaper put an arm around my waste and held me against him. My brother's name shouldn't fall from a demon's lips. He deserves better. "You're a fucking liar! You did something to make him change!"

"The Devil can't make anyone do anything. Persuasion is his best tool." He countered, which angered me even more. I was about to spit another thing back, but Reaper turned me away and pulled me into an embrace, speaking in my ear.

"Just don't listen to him Kyra. He's yanking your chain." He whispered.

"He's saying my brother's… a bad person!" I whispered harshly back, my face going red with anger.

"Doesn't make him one." He reasoned. "It doesn't matter what he says. No one will listen."

I opened my mouth to keep arguing, but couldn't find anything to say. I closed my mouth and buried my face in his shoulder. I wanted to hide. Just for a few minutes… hide from the world. Just a few minutes of nothing.

"What do you want?" I heard Reaper ask the man viciously.

"Fine." He growled in defeat like an immature child. "I've done my…" He chuckled while looking at me. "Factual damage. You're obviously not that stupid, Kyra Lucas. Satan wants you out of his way. You and your friends- especially you- have been an annoying hindrance in his path. So, he offers you… a deal." He said with a slight smile. I perked my head up and looked at him. "If you withdraw, dropping all weapons right now and leaving this place, in return he will set your brother free. No catches. Simple as said. By his word."

I sneered and pried myself from John's hold, walking towards the man coolly and stopping a few feet away.

"And just what is his word worth?" I asked.

"Do not insult a promise of the Devil!" He snarled, face turning to a deep frown.

"Too late. Is there an answer?" I spoke boldly.

"If you do not agree to this deal then Hell will be unleashed upon you like you've never seen it before!" He continued to vent.

Now… if it was only my life that was in danger here, then I'd probably laugh in his face right now; but, since I had my squad and the civilians to think about, I refrained from disrespecting him that far. We don't need any more demons chasing are tails than we have now. Plus… he did mention setting my brother free.

"How do I know he will call his demons off if we drop the weapons, let alone free my brother?" I asked.

"He will grant you safe passage out of the facility, and your brother will be at the elevator waiting for you."

I eyed him suspiciously. This was all too straightforward to be true. "So, he's just gonna let us go?" I asked apprehensively.

"Provided that you leave your weapons behind." He stated sternly. _Why is he so keen on that part of the deal? This has to be some sort of trick. I find it extremely hard to believe that "Satan" is just going to let us go, being all fine and dandy with it. Bullshit. My instincts are arguing against this. _

I turned to the squad and motioned for Reaper while I met with them to debate. They had the same opinion.

"It's a trick. If we drop our weapons then we are completely vulnerable. There's too much at stake to risk believing the word of a demon, Ice." Destroyer spoke.

"I agree." I consented. "Our priority is to get as many people out of here as possible. He's bluffing about unleashing all of Hell on us."

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I… just do. The only thing that can be thrown at us is what has mutated so far. Nothing we haven't seen before."

"I don't know. We've seen some crazy things. There's no tellin' what could be out there." Duke spoke.

I closed my eyes in slight frustration and started to get my point across more through hand gestures. "Look, it doesn't matter because weapons or not, we're gonna run into these things. I think we all agree with not taking this deal, right?" I stated. They all nodded, and I looked towards Reaper. He seemed distracted. His eyes were on his sister, whom I noticed to be staring at the floor with glistening tears down her cheeks. Those two will have to sort something out. I understand this deeply personal conflict going on between them, but it won't help the rest of us if they are focused on each other and not the crisis at hand.

"John." I called quietly. He turned his gaze to me. My questioning look spoke the words for me, and he nodded. I flashed a small curve of my lips in response. "Ok."

"Let's just chop his head off and make a run for it." Duke stated indifferently, glancing at the now grinning man standing a few feet away. The civilians were set uncomfortably at a safe distance from him, looking frightened and confused. They have no idea what this is about. All they know is that some crazy man who should be dead is talking about Satin and all Hell being unleashed upon them. Nothing but crazy talk right?

"In most situations I'd consider that a foolish idea." I stated, drawing a slightly glaring look from him. "But I think I'll make an exception this time. Everybody in agreement?"

There was a slight nod from everyone. I discreetly reached for the knife folded inside my belt, just below my belly. Whilst keeping eye contact with my comrades to avoid suspicion from the man, I clicked the button of the knife so that it popped out. The sound of its release was masked by a loud cough from Duke.

"Cover any exits." I whispered very lowly, looking pointedly at Duke and Destroyer. They nodded. I then looked at Reaper standing almost shoulder to shoulder with me. Our eyes met. "I don't think I need to tell you to watch my back." I suggested, his answer was a subtle touch of my hand with his. I was comforted by the graze of his skin. It was a short moment that we shared intimate eye contact, but then I started to turn towards the man.

The cool glassy touch of the handle of the knife in my hand roused every active nerve in my body. It gave me power. It dared someone to get in my way. That's what it feels like to have a weapon in my hand. I am infatuated by blades. That demon was going to be the victim of my deadly passion.

"So the answer's no." The man stated. Though I was slightly shocked at his reaction, I wasted no time and closed the space between us. My knife met the tender skin of his throat, cutting as deep as possible with the short blade. Blood was pouring from the wound, yet he still grinned at me like nothing had happened. I suddenly felt the breath knocked out me. He had violently plunged his fist into my stomach. Temporarily dazed, he wrapped long abrasive fingers around my neck and squeezed, lifting me up into the air. The knife fell from my hand and clanged on the floor.

Guns opened fire, hitting the man many times in every place possible. He didn't falter in the slightest. How can he still be alive? Reaper quickly took action, about to knock the man up the side of the head with the gun.

"You will not save her this time, John." The man said, raising his hand towards Reaper. Reaper was thrown back by some hidden force, hitting the floor with a hard thud far from me. I just barely saw it happen from the corner of my eye. Rage swelled in me like a balloon about to pop. I brought my hand up to the fingers around my neck, using all the strength I had to pry them away. His middle finger broke as I ripped it backwards, and he looked at me with a scowl. He brought my face close to his, staring me down with glowing red eyes.

"Your brother is _my_ servant. He will do as I say. He failed to kill you once, and was harshly punished for that, believe me; but he will not come back to you Kyra. He is doomed to serve. Nothing you do will change that. Your purpose means nothing anymore, so why don't you die? Your death is inevitable." He spoke hoarsely, squeezing tighter to the point where it was painful to even make a sound. "As hard as I try… you just will… not… die. Guardian angels wherever you go. Their Master must have a purpose for you. What is it?" He asked to himself. "Hmm… what is it He needs from you?"

"Let her go!" Someone screamed. I didn't know the voice, but it was the high pitched tone of a young girl. It's one of the civilians. The demon turned his head towards her, staring intensely.

"What did she ever do to you? You're just a big bully!" She shouted with surprising contempt. Oh, this youngin' meant business, and I would have smiled if I could. She tore herself from her mother- who tried to go after her but was stiff with fear- and stomped towards the demon aggressively. His eyes watched as she neared, and did nothing when her foot connected with his shin violently. I saw his lips curve into a smile, and a full eerie laugh escaped his bloody lips. He turned his head towards me.

"Such fire in such a small body! She seems a bit like you Kyra, when you were that age!" He snickered, and looked down at his free arm. I glanced down to see what had drawn his attention, and widened my eyes in surprise at the sight before me. The girl's teeth were clenched around his flesh, biting down with all her might. He looked back up at me with the same shocked expression. "Similar fighting technique too!"

"D-on' y' da-re touch er'" I tried to spit, but it was difficult to get out through a crushed throat.

"What was that? I don't think I heard you. Shall I get rid of this little vermin?" He said wickedly. "Pinky! Come out boy! Feeding time!"

My heart jumped when I heard him shout Pinky. I remembered Pinky being dragged away by my brother. He must have been infected, and now he's calling him out.

Suddenly there was loud guttural roar from the southern corridor. I heard the squad shouting, turning their guns towards the approaching monster. Where was John? What if he's unconscious and that monster gets a hold of him? What about the civilians?

I gritted my teeth and looked down at the demon, who was temporarily distracted by the entrance of his pet. Swinging my leg back, I brought it up with every ounce of power I could muster, crashing it against his face. The impact worked like a charm. His neck snapped backwards, ripping what muscle was left in his throat so that it was hanging by a few strings of flesh down his back. The hand around my neck went limp, making me drop to the floor. My legs gave way due to the lack of blood flow they had received.

I rolled onto my side, coughing hard from a dry throat and heaving the largest breathes of air I could take. Things were a little blurry, but I did see lots of dark figures running around, and then a much larger silhouette pouncing at anything living. It must be our "pinky demon". What a wonderful name, and scary too. It's like Telly-tubbies gone bad. Imagine those things chasing you around in the dark. Can't get much scarier than that. Wait, where's that little girl?

"Go for the head!" I heard Duke shout.

"Don't let it by! Keep it away from the civilians!" Destroyer's voice followed.

"Somebody get Ice away! Put her with the civilians!" Duke shouted again, noticing that I was no longer in the grasp of that demon.

A few seconds later, things went dark as someone leaned over me. Their hand caressed my cheek and I sensed their face close to mine. They spoke, and I felt my heart jump again when I recognized his voice.

"Kyra. You ok?" Reaper asked, lifting me up and resting me against his chest. I couldn't speak, so I nodded instead. He smiled in relief that I was even able to respond, embracing me tightly. "How do you get into so much trouble so easily, babe?" He almost said to himself. I gave a weak shrug, receiving a brief kiss on the forehead. He put an arm under my legs and lifted me up, carrying me to a safe distance from the action. Things began to come into focus, but my breathing was still ragged. He set me on the floor and grasped my hand, calling for Sam. She quickly came and looked at her brother.

"Take care of her… please." He quietly asked of her. She briefly nodded and broke eye contact with him, turning her attention to me to avoid having to face him further.

"Be careful John." I wheezed before he stood. He looked back at me and smiled, taking my hand for a moment before standing and going towards the action. A few seconds later Sam drew my attention.

"You said you weren't together." She said.

"We weren't. Things sure change fast huh?" I responded weakly. She paused for a moment and looked away.

"Yes, they do."

"You can't honestly believe it." I spoke sternly.

"Believe what, Kyra." She retorted, but kept from looking me in the eye. I tried to sit up to seem more intimidating.

"That it's John's fault your parents are dead. _That's_ what. He's your damn brother, Sam, so the first thing you ought to give him is the benefit of the doubt, not pressure him to the point of tears. I have _never_ seen him cry. You must have known he was sensitive about the subject. Yet you kept pushing. Now, I don't know much about your relationship, but I won't let you do this to him. You're a family, so I suggest you start acting like one." She was silenced.

Feeling much better after saying that, I was pumped and ready to do something. I cracked my neck and jumped to my feet, looking towards the gunfire to evaluate the situation. Destroyer was on his back and fighting the jaws of the supposed 'pinky demon'. The creature itself looked like a pig with the agility and ferocity of a dog, and mechanical wheels for back legs. It was huge, about the same size as the dogs I had faced earlier. There were no eyes on its face, only two chipped tusks on the side of its head and a row of large, sharp, yellow canines. Already there was blood leaking from a wound on its back, and quite a few on its neck. Destroyer was fighting for his life, and all anyone could do was shoot and hope it died of blood loss or a destroyed organ.

My first impulse was to find my knife and… well… jump on its back and do as much damage as I could. However, past experiences with that directing of action, I thought twice about it. There had to be something I could do that wouldn't involve putting me or anyone else in danger. Use your brain, Kyra. Think of something clever, something that will get its attention and drive it away.

I looked around, observing the surroundings and making note of all the things that could be useful. There was the nearest corridor, which had a panel next to it containing one of those genetic sensors. It activated the blast door, which would probably crush anything in its path. Then there was the dead man that had been possessed. He looked like an employee, so his hand might be compatible for the panel and trigger the door. One thing I've learned is that these demons are always hungry and seeking blood. It takes a lot of energy to mutate, and this demon is fresh, so it still may be hungry. I could lure him to the blast door with the dead man, then at the last second use his hand to activate the door, crushing the monster instantly. It could work, but timing will be crucial.

Satisfied enough with my plan, I quickly went to the mangled corpse on the floor and picked it up from under the arms. I began dragging it towards the corridor, watching the pinky demon as it continued to try to bite at Destroyer. Once situated where I wanted to be, I loudly whistled.

"Here boy! Come on Pinky! Over here!" I shouted as if speaking to a dog. "You hungry? Got something for you!"

I had successfully captured the creature's interest when it heard its originally human name called. It paused in what it was doing and turned its head towards me, sniffing the air hungrily. Perfect, it's smelled the corpse. Slowly it moved off of Destroyer, and all fire ceased. The squad's attention was on me now.

"That's it Pinky. Come on." I urged, picking the body up and moving back slightly. It moved more quickly towards me, barring its teeth in a snarl. I set the man's hand next to the panel, standing behind the blast door. The demon moved faster now, sensing a free meal, and I felt my heart rate increase. This had to be timed perfectly, or it will make it through before the door closes, or not make it in time. Either way, I won't be able to get back into the ark room to help me, or the people inside.

The monster was now at a speeding limp, ten feet away. Just a few more seconds, and three feet should be enough. I put the hand closer to the panel, watching the demon's distance with hawk eyes. It had to be precise. Five feet. Four Feet. Now. I put the hand in the panel, and a brief alarm sounded.

"_Blast doors activated."_ The computer announced from the speakers. The door came down quickly just when the demon was halfway under it. There was a sickening crunch as the door crushed its spine and anything else located in the center of its back. It wailed in pain, clawing at the floor and shaking its head for a few seconds before going completely still.

Sighing in relief, I rested against the wall and looked down at the corpse still in my hands. The head was still hanging by only an inch of flesh, and it brought a small smile to my face. It reminded me of an old series of books I read as a teenager. The Harry Potter books and the ghost called Nearly Headless Nick.

"May God grant peace upon your soul, sir. You served your purpose well, and I hope you have a sure journey to heaven." I spoke respectfully. I gently laid him down on the floor and closed his eyes. His face was softened underneath the blood, peaceful. Now I was sure the demon possessing him had left. He would be passing on, and that was a comforting thing to know.

I went towards the door and slid under the small opening. The demon was big enough to keep it up two feet or so, therefore it was easy to get back to the other side. I heard loud gasps of relief everywhere, and got up to see everyone smiling. It was a relief that both monsters were dead, and only one person was lost. To the civilians it couldn't have been a better feeling. Reaper was already in front of me and taking my face in his hands, putting his forehead against mine and smiling.

"Would it even matter if I told you to stay out of trouble _again_?" He asked lowly.

"Nope." I replied.

"Then I won't waste my breath." He chuckled. "You ok?"

"Yep." I answered. "You?"

"Perfect."

"Good."

There was a brief silence, then he pulled away and we walked over to the squad assembled in a circle. I looked at Destroyer and examined him with concern.

"You ok Destroyer?" I asked. He just shrugged and rubbed his arm.

"Just a scratch." He said. "I'll survive."

"Good. Alright guys, let's get going. Elevator's less than ten minutes away, so let's push it. Any trouble and you keep going. I'll cover the rear and take care of any business, but you keep running. Clear?" I ended.

They nodded and quickly gathered around the civilians, getting them to their feet. I was surprised that there were no protests against my plan. Usually someone like Duke of Reaper would have something to say, but I guess they've found that their objections have gone to no avail in the past.

One by one the civilians passed under the blast door, Kid and Destroyer waiting for them on the other side. Once through, we continued at a suitable sprint for the children towards the elevator. I noticed the little girl who stood up for me before, standing arm in arm with her mother. Seeing her brought a small smile to my face. She would make one hell of a Marine one day if she tried.

Suddenly, almost three minutes into the march, the group came to a halt. I heard a gentle call from Destroyer and moved up front to see what the problem was. He had his back leaned against the wall, close to the corner of a split in the hallway. I placed myself next to him, looking wearily down the opposite direction of the corridor.

"Listen." Destroyer whispered. I stopped breathing for a moment and sharpened my ears, listening attentively for abnormal sounds. Sure enough, there was something there. It sounded like one thing, but a very big one. Heavy but relatively silent footsteps were coming down the hall just around the corner we stood against. Slimy, rough growls echoed vaguely from the creature. It came from a deep, large chest, giving another hint that this thing was big.

"It's blocking our way to the elevator." Destroyer murmured. "We can't go back. It'll just take us longer and create a bigger chance of us running into more trouble. I think we only got one choice Ice. How do you wanna handle it?"

I silently sighed and thoughtfully looked at the civilians, and could make out the confused faces of Reaper and Duke behind them. My eyes locked with Reaper's, and I felt a longing in the pit of my stomach. Ever since we kissed it's like I need him more and more. For just one day I want nothing else than solitude with him. Maybe this is just that good, high feeling you get when you fall in love for the first time. It's like all I want is him, and nothing else matters. If only it could be like that right now. There are too many risks and dangers present, so I would have to shove those eager thoughts to the back of my head till the time was necessary.

"Give me a gun and I'll hold it off. Your priority is to get the civilians by safely, so don't be taking risks trying to help me out. I'll be fine no matter what." I spoke softly. Kid overheard my words and interrupted.

"I'll stay behind you, watch your back." He stated.

"But _don't_ take your eyes off the civilians. If someone dies because one of us was careless, it'll be on our conscience. Understand?" I lectured.

"Perfectly."

I nodded and looked back toward Reaper and Duke, updating them on the situation using a series of hand gestures. They nodded in understanding, moving forward and giving directions to the civilians.

Destroyer handed me his rifle and winked reassuringly. I weakly smiled in response, switching places with him against the wall. My listening sharpened again as I tried to determine where the monster was. It didn't sound too far off. Maybe ten feet at the most down the hall. In the past, the head has been the prime kill point, so that should be the first thing to destroy. Piece of cake, right?

I slowly inched my head towards the corner and tilted it so that I could see down the hall. Only half of the corridor could be seen without leaning further, but I could still see the left leg and arm of the creature. It had no skin, only red muscle heavily packed over a five-foot arm. Clean, pearl-white claws protruded from three fleshy fingers. They were sharp with small razor like spikes lining the sides, like a shark's tooth. The foot was the same, only shaped like the paws of a canine with similar white claws tapping the floor as it walked. The shoulder of the arm ended about eight feet in the air, so the creature was probably around nine feet tall. Judging by the ample build, it was probably as large as expected.

Taking a short breath, I swung around the corner with the gun resting against my shoulder. The very second I found where the head was, I opened fire on it with a rain of shattering bullets. A deep wail escaped the creature's throat, and it started for me in anger. At the corner of my eye I saw Destroyer passing, Kid right behind him. They saw that I had things under control for the moment, so no one fired. It would draw attention to them and the civilians anyway.

The creature was nearing four feet away, and the bullets weren't doing anything to stop it. So I charged it head on, shoving the barrel of the rifle into its gut and pumping it full of metal. The impact itself had stopped the monster, and it screamed as I blew holes through its body. I could see the frightened people staring wide eyed at the demon whilst pressing themselves flat against the wall to pass it safely. It was distracted by me, which was a good thing.

I felt the pressure of its large hand wrapping around my body, yanking me away to slam me against the wall violently. Another gun opened fire, and I recognized as the creature turned that it was Kid. Realizing now that I wasn't the only one in danger, I quickly tried to draw its attention back to me by shooting at its arm in an attempt to make it release its hold. I was successful, but not in a way I would have hoped. It threw my body at the other wall, and I collapsed to the floor among the civilians. That little girl quickly sprinted from the wall to my side, grabbing my arm to drag me away to safety. When I opened my eyes to see this, I panicked. The monster was coming up behind her.

Suddenly Kid came into view, pushing the girl to the ground just as the monster's claws fell. He was looking down at me when it happened.

"NO!" I screamed. He let out a muffled shout as the claws ripped through his back. Tears welled in my eyes when the blood began to leak from his mouth, and he fell to his knees. The monster raised its hand to strike again, but I sat up and lifted the rifle, shooting furiously at its head. My firing didn't stop until it halted, and when it did, it fell back to the ground with a huge thud. Kid was lying on his stomach. I scrambled over to him and turned him over, letting out a grieving moan. His face was pale, body completely limp. It just couldn't be true. He sacrificed himself for a little girl. Kid… was dead.


	15. Chapter 15

Destroyer, Duke, and Reaper stared in devastation at their dead comrade on the floor. It happened so unexpectedly that it seemed like it didn't happen at all. Like the event was just another part of this nightmare.

Reality took hold after a few seconds, and Reaper moved toward my shaking body, weeping for Kid and holding his lifeless body against me. He was my brother, like all the men in the barracks. I care about them all, and would die a thousand deaths to save them if it was necessary. But why the youngest of our family? He was most innocent and lighthearted of us, with a big heart and childish personality. If anyone was to survive, it should have been him.

Reaper kneeled down and put a hand on my back, leaning in and resting his head against mine with his eyes closed. Soon Duke and Destroyer were kneeled across from me, staring in lament at Kid's corpse. I let out a shaky whimper and stroked his hair tenderly, letting warm, salty tears dot his face. Reaper reached further around and pulled me to him, kissing my hair before looking down at our comrade. His eyes were glossy, but no tears ever seemed to come.

"You did good, Kid. We're proud of you." He spoke in a groggy whisper, clearing his throat afterwards. A long silence hung. No one could find the words to say, if it was appropriate for the time. It could not last, however. To linger for too long would bring further danger.

Reluctantly I set him down on the floor, closing his lids and wiping my wet cheeks. I reached under his collar and pulled out the dog tag around his neck, yanking it off and balling it before putting it in my pocket. We never had the chance to collect Goat's tag, nor Portman, Sarge, or Mac. Either the act was forgotten, or there was no body to collect it from.

I stood and took stiff, surefooted steps down the hall, signaling the squad to resume their positions and follow. Funny, I seemed to have become the prime authority of the group. Never saw that coming. The civilians were silent and quick to move as instructed. They sensed the thick atmosphere of grief and were shaken by the look of vengeance on their escort's faces. I knew that if they made one slip that would cost another one of my comrade's lives, they would be running for their lives without my gun to back them up. I wasn't sure if I could take the loss of more family.

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We ushered the people through the door while Destroyer kept the zombies back with his machine gun. The damn things ambushed us at an intersection. They'd become smarter, or more creative, for they came down from the ceiling to literally drop down on top of us. A lot of people were killed in the surprise attack, and Duke suffered critical injuries and was bleeding freely by my side that moment. Regardless, he didn't falter and did his best to get the civilians into the adjacent storage room. Reaper was by Destroyer's side, covering our flank.

Once everyone was inside, we closed the metal sliding doors behind us. Reaper, Destroyer, and Duke were piling boxes in front of it. I was nursing a cut on Sam's leg, constantly glancing at Duke to see if he was alright. He didn't seem to notice the deep gash in his arm, nor the bleeding cut on his head. I never knew he was so resilient to pain. I then looked at Reaper, and narrowed my brow in concern. He was breathing abnormally and had a pained expression every time he lifted something.

"How long till they break through?" Sam asked with a groan.

"Not long." I heard Reaper gasp in reply, and I shot my head toward him. He leaned heavily on the makeshift barrier and suddenly slid to the floor, holding his side. Blood was seeping through his fingers.

"You're bleeding!" I gasped, rushing to his side. I tried to get him to sit up and leaned him against the wall. His face was pale, and eyes drooping lethargically. Sam felt his head, suddenly unaware of her own injuries.

"You're cold." She said, opening her med kit and arranging a shot.

Destroyer and Duke were quickly attentive of the scene. The people standing around us were stiff with fear, but also with worry that one of the Marines risking to save them was fatally wounded. It would pain them to see another die to save their lives, when our squad didn't have to do it in the first place.

Reaper's head dropped and his eyes shut. Hastily I grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him back up.

"Stay awake. Stay with us John. Try to stay awake." I spoke anxiously to him. He looked me in the eyes and shook himself back into a living state. I kept eye contact with him, but his attention shot towards his arm when he sensed the needle only centimeters away.

"What's that?" He asked with a slur.

"C24." She answered.

"No!" He jerked his arm away and almost fell over. I caught him and set his back against the wall.

"You're bleeding to death!" She argued.

"I've done things Sam. I've done… bad things."

"That's bullshit John and you know it." I spoke firmly, making him draw his gaze to me.

"You're my brother." Sam fought.

Reaper stared at her for a few moments. He already lost the argument, because not only was his sister against him, but his woman as well. Can't argue much when you're in that situation. That was Sam's queue that it was alright. She put the needle to his arm again.

"Wait. Wait." He interrupted, reaching for the pistol on his belt and pulling the gun out with a groan. He handed it to me, but I knew what he wanted me to do, and didn't take it.

"If I should turn into one of them… one through the heart… one through the head. Don't you hesitate." He said in a commanding tone.

I shook my head in disbelief. "You can't ask me to do that."

"I need you to do it Kyra. If I turn into one… I won't be me anymore. I need you to kill the demon that takes over my body."

"She won't have to." Sam protested, pushing the pistol down.

He ignored Sam and kept his pleading eyes on me. "_Please_… please…" His voice was fading with every word, but he still held the pistol to me. I reluctantly took it from his hand, and he gave a relieved sigh. Sam put the needle to his arm again, pumping the liquid into his veins.

"You guys need to get to the elevator. I'll stay with him." I said.

Duke then spoke up. "What if those things get through before-?"

"Get to the elevator! Trust me, we'll be fine." I stressed.

For a few seconds they stood in protesting silence, but then decided it was no use. Duke kneeled down to me and put his rifle at my side, taking a few clips from his belt and setting them down also. Then he gently popped me on the side of the head in a friendly but annoyed gesture, pointing at me with a serious look on his face.

"You be careful. If those mother fuckers get through the door you ghost em' all, alright?" He said.

"I'll do that." I replied with a grin.

"That's my girl." Then he looked at Reaper. "Keep it strong man. Somebody has to take care of her while we're gone. No better man than you." Reaper nodded and they bonded hands in a strong, friendly embrace.

"Get the people safely to the surface. I'll set off the charges." I said.

"Alright." Duke replied.

"Good luck Ice. We'll be waiting for you guys up top." Destroyer said, obviously confident that we would do so.

"You too." I said to that.

He then leaned down to Reaper and ruffled his hair in a friendly gesture.

"Yeah Reaper, you'll do just fine." He said, bringing back the memory of the day when I first arrived. Only this time it was serious, and not to get on Reaper's nerves. Reaper smiled and they shook hands too.

Duke stood and started shouting at the people to go out the opposite door. He covered the back of the group, while Destroyer stayed in the front. Sam joined with the people, trying to keep them calm while leaning on someone's shoulder.

I turned back to Reaper, and soon after, a little girl walked up to me. She was looking at Reaper, worry in her face.

"You saved us from the monsters." She stated. He looked at the little girl, surprised that this little youth was speaking to him. It was the girl Kid rescued.

"Yes." He answered.

She stepped up and gave him a gentle hug around the neck. At first he was a little shocked, but then he lifted an arm and wrapped it around the little girl, giving her a small hug back. I smiled and stared at him. He seemed… calmed. It's amazing what the appreciation of a child does to people. He wasn't breathing as hoarsely as before, and I noticed him wake up a little. When the girl pulled away she pecked his cheek.

"Thank you." She said, and then she turned and ran towards her mother, who was waiting with the group. They went out, leaving Reaper and I alone.

"You have a mysterious way with the ladies." I said, and he gave a small snort.

"You never thanked me like that. First thing you did was tear my head off." He said with a slight chuckle, but then he coughed up blood, the thick liquid pouring from his mouth.

"Jesus." I cursed lowly, quickly taking my sleeve and wiping it up. Then my hand went to his cheek. He was white as a ghost, and very cold.

"Don't talk." I ordered him anxiously.

"I need to tell you something." He said through the blood.

"I said don't talk, John. I need you to stay with me."

"This might be my last chance." I looked him in the eyes.

"This won't be your last chance." I said quietly but sternly.

"You don't know that."

"You're a good man, and you're good enough to fight this. I know you like my own brother." I argued.

"Yeah... well… look what happened to your brother."

"Will you just-" I began in frustration, then choked out a sigh as the lump rose in my throat. I gripped his face and brought mine to his, kissing his head lovingly before feeling the tears fall. "Please, just don't start this. I don't like you telling me you're gonna die, John. I've heard enough of that in the past. Ok?"

He closed his eyes and I felt a hand on my back. "I'm sorry." He whispered, pausing for a moment while I lightly kissed his lips. "I'm just…" He stopped again. A few seconds later he finally continued, and I was surprised at what I heard. "I'm scared. I'm scared I'm not strong enough. That you'll have to see me change. That you'll have to live with the pain of having to kill me. I don't want that. Not for you."

I stroked his cheek with my thumb, smiling a little at his words. They were sweet. It says he cares for me in more ways than I thought. It tells me that he truly loves me, because he cares about my life and well-being even after he dies. I tried to find the words to comfort him. Find some way to calm his fear like a mother holds a child.

"This has nothing to do with what you've done, John." I said in a low, soothing tone. "It has to do with what you feel. Get rid of your guilt, your anger, and focus on the good that you feel. I don't know what happened to make my brother change, but the same thing isn't going to happen to you. You understand me?"

He took a moment to swallow and take in much needed breaths. "Yes, but I'd-"

"Just shut up." I chuckled, leaning in and wrapping my arms around his neck. I held him in a gentle embrace and my humor faded quickly. "Just shut up and don't leave me."

He paused again, pushing me away after a few seconds and looking directly into my eyes. His face looked strained while he tried to lift his hand so that he could touch my face. I brought it to me, and he caressed my cheek.

"I don't think I ever told you… how much I care about you." He said quietly.

"It doesn't matter. I already know." I said.

"I don't make the same mistakes twice Kyra. I was too scared to tell you how I felt before, and then you almost died. Just in case… I'm gonna suck it up right now." He paused, and I waited patiently. "I love you Kyra. I l-" He stopped suddenly, unable to say anymore. His eyes were drooping, and his hand was sliding from my face. I took his face in my hands and got really close to him, our noses almost touching.

"Stay with me! Don't go out on me John! Don't you dare!" I said anxiously.

It was out of his hands now. He couldn't stay awake any longer. His body was at its last stand and would shut down in a matter of seconds.

His eyes closed and he toppled over, but I caught his body before it hit the ground. I felt the lump in my throat as I began to cry. For some reason I was in doubt that he could fight it. The worst crept into my mind.

I took him into my arms and held him close to me. His hair brushed my cheek when I leaned my head on his, and the tears fell freely from my eyes and dripped onto his face. He loved me. Damnit, he said it straight to my face. That's not something I expected him to actually say to me straight out. _Please God. If ever you cared. So much has been taken from me already. Don't take him away too. _

Amongst all these feelings, I didn't even realize the prayers slipping from my mouth. I was praying, praying for him. The last thing I wanted to do was have to kill the man I love because of that shit. That would hurt as much as having to kill my brother. Losing the one's I love most has become like a curse now. My parents both died in accidents, not natural causes like a normal family. Then my brother gets mutated into a monster, and that's definitely not what happens to a normal family. Now I might have to lose a friend, and one that I love very much.

I started to talk to him in choked whispers for some reason. When in emotional times like this, you can only hope that the person can hear you, and that somehow they will come back. This was a similar feeling to when I held my mother's hand before she died, and I kept holding her, talking to her, hoping that she'd come back, and that things would be ok.

"Don't do this to me. Please don't do this to me John. You can't leave me. You promised you'd always be there for me, so be there when I need you. Fight it." I paused and started to choke. "I love you."

I began to rock back and forth, squeezing him close to me. For the longest time I stayed that way. These were the moments when I realized just how much I wanted him, loved him, and needed him here. This was when I realized that I never told him how I felt, and that I might not ever get to tell him now. This is how he must have felt when I died on that gurney some hours ago. The feeling just made me cry even more. The only thing I could do… was wait.

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I was leaning against the wall, Reaper's head in my lap. It was around thirty minutes later, and I was staring into space. My fingers ran through his hair, removing whatever dirt and sweat that clung to the black strands. I had stopped crying a while ago, but my eyes were still swollen and red from it. I would wait forever here if I had to. There was no way I could leave him here, even if it meant me dying. I would die getting his body to the surface so he could be properly buried and mourned over if I had to. But there was still time. Yes, the change takes time, so I'll be patient. He's not going to turn into a demon. He's coming back.

I closed my eyes, feeling so tired. My body needed rest so badly to properly regenerate. That battle with those monsters cost me a lot of blood, and I needed to nourish myself to help get it back.

Then, suddenly, I heard the familiar dull pound of footsteps coming from outside the door. My eyes shot open and went toward the open door, and the shadow of a large figure was moving down the hall. Instantly I took Duke's rifle and flicked the safety off, taking a clip from the floor and popping it in with a click. My eyes glancing towards the door constantly, I lifted Reaper's head and scooted out from under him, laying him down gently on the floor.

The footsteps were growing louder, and I slowly stood, watching the door. I fixed the strap of the rifle over my shoulder and raised it, waiting. A recognizable creature stepped into view, and the rifle sunk from my hands as I gazed in grief.

He stared back at me for a moment, then slowly continued down the corridor and disappeared. Sudden desperation taking hold, I rushed to the door and looked toward where he had gone. His large form continued to move away, and for a moment I thought to follow him. _But how can I leave John? Surely he should wake soon. But then… what about my brother, it seemed he wanted me to follow him._

For a few seconds I looked back at Reaper, then Will's retreating person. A decision was made, and I followed my brother, vowing to come back for Reaper soon.


	16. Chapter 16

The halls were getting darker the further I followed Will. Soon the only way I could navigate was by the sound of his heavy footsteps, and I pursued him blindly. Once realizing that I was completely vulnerable at this point, I was surprised I had so willingly trusted my brother. What if it was true? That my brother wasn't the man I knew, and could be leading me into a trap this very moment. I knew when we encountered that possessed man in the Ark room that there was a higher work going on here. This wasn't just an experiment gone wrong anymore. It seemed that Satan himself was involved, and all his minions in Hell.

Suddenly there was a strange red light outlining the large form of my brother. I moved closer to the wall to see past him, seeing the faint glow of light coming from the end of the hall, which opened up into a huge room, similar to the Ark room. I gave a questioning look to Will, but he wasn't paying much attention to me. He walked into the open room, and I stopped at the very edge, cautiously peeking out. What I saw struck immediate fear and an icy feeling of betrayal in my heart.

All around the room were demons, hundreds of them. From the smaller mutations we first encountered to the monstrous giants that matched that of the one who killed Kid. The light came from a ring of strangely red fire in the center. The walls were coated with blood, limbs of innocents hanging from wires like ornaments. The pungent smell of death hit me like a punch in the face, and I felt my stomach lurch. It was true then. He had led me into a trap. My own brother has led me to death.

The demon's attentions were immediately drawn toward me when my brother entered, and sounded low growls whilst shooting raw looks of hatred. Immediately I raised my rifle and started to back up, preparing to make a run for it. Suddenly my legs were ripped out from under me, making me fall flat on my face and release the gun. Then a wet, slimy sensation slid around my forearms and neck. I struggled furiously, but found that whatever was holding me had flexible, unyielding limbs. Like tentacles. They lifted me up from the ground. Slowly I was brought out into the open, and roars of pleasure echoed in the huge room, ringing mockingly in my ears.

Tears quickly welled in my eyes, mostly at the thought of betrayal. I just couldn't believe that Will could do this. How much could he have possibly changed? Did the Marine Corps do something to him? Did the mutation warp his mind?

Abruptly I found myself flying through the air, landing with a painful thud on the marble floor inside the fire ring. A cry left my throat at the impact, and I rolled onto my back holding an aching shoulder. The ceiling was strangely black. In fact, it seemed like there was no ceiling at all, just a black void. The eager cries of the demons around me grew louder and more excited. Something was terribly wrong with this situation. I expected to be gutted on the spot, but apparently something else was being planned, and this ring of fire had something to do with it. Could it be some sort of sacrifice, or ritual?

I sat up and squinted my eyes. The fire was letting off intense waves of heat and light on me. Already I could feel beads of sweat forming on my head. My energy suddenly hit a low, like the heat was sucking it out of me, and I fell back to the floor. Feeling suddenly feeble, I gazed lazily into the abyss above. Every second I was being drained further, and soon my eyes hurt from the light enough to spark a migraine.

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Slowly his brain came into consciousness, waking him from a disturbed sleep. Reaper wearily opened his eyes, finding nothing but a blurry mess. For a few seconds he was utterly confused, not knowing where he was or what life he had just lived. Was Olduvai a dream? Could he be back in the barracks? When things came into focus, all was revealed. He was lying face up in the storage room where the civilians and his squad had barricaded themselves. All memories of the past mission came flooding back, and he let out a groan as his head began to ache.

Taking a moment to let reality sink in and wait out his pounding head, he finally raised himself to a sitting position. It was too quiet in here. He felt something was missing, but couldn't come to terms with it until his hand rested on a needle on the floor. Taking it between his fingers, he lifted it up and studied it carefully. A medical tool. Now he remembered.

Eyes widening, he dropped the needle and quickly glanced around the room.

"Kyra." He called groggily.

Jumping to his feet he suddenly remembered why he had been unconscious on the floor. There was no pain on the side of his face from where he was clipped by Pinky's wheelchair, nor from the deep wound in his side given by the claws of a zombie. Looking down and resting a hand on the former wound, he found that it was indeed, gone. There was nothing but torn cloth and dry blood to hint that there was ever an injury. He then stepped over to an old, cracked mirror hiding behind the boxes that were moved, leaning in to closer inspect his face. The condition was the same, nothing but dried blood. The C24 had worked.

He then turned to further examine the surroundings and find out why Kyra wasn't there. There was no trace except for the pistol on the floor. He recognized it as Kid's, which the dead young man had given to Kyra. She wouldn't leave that behind on purpose, neither would she just leave him half-dead on the floor. Had she lost hope and left? It couldn't be. It was way out of character. She always had faith in him. Something must have happened, and it couldn't be good if she left a gun behind. Knowing Kyra, that's one thing she would never forget.

Convinced that she was in trouble, Reaper leaned down and picked up the pistol. He checked the clip to see what ammo was left, then gripped it in both hands and walked towards the door. A man on a mission, he smoothly went down the hall like a cat on the prowl. He could feel the change, the new unknown strength, sharpened senses in the ears, eyes, and nose. Everything was seen at a whole new level, and he liked the feeling of pure power pulsing through him. Nothing would stand in his way.

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Everything started to turn into shades of red. I was so weak I couldn't move or speak. I didn't even know it was possible to be this frail.

Stepping through the flames, a figure appeared before me. For a moment he stood there and stared down at me with a small, satisfied grin on his face. Then he took a step forward and kneeled down, taking my face in one hand to turn my head toward him. He looked human, without a single flaw on his features. To see someone so clean and unscathed was almost an alien sight. He turned my head from left to right and ran his hands along my body as if examining me. His eyes scrutinized every detail, like a hunter checking his kill to see if it was good enough to eat. I felt like a kill.

He took one last look at my face before standing, backing up a few feet. I then realized that the hall was completely silent, nothing but the sound of the flames around me. It was an anticipating silence, like a timer counting down to a sudden climax. I waited for something to happen.

"Well done William. She will do." A deep voice spoke from the man. There was a low, menacing growl in reply.

Sudden activity appeared around the room, creatures grunting and shuffling about. Something had just entered and was making its way toward the man. He stepped out of the ring and listened to what the creature had to say, then slowly turned toward Will pointedly. Will purposely avoided his eyes, looking at me.

"I have one last task for you, William." He said. "John has awakened and is wandering the corridors as we speak." He paused and stepped up to Will, forcing him to meet his gaze. "I want you to kill him. He will be too much of a hindrance, and I don't want him anywhere near this room while we are performing the ritual. You keep him away by any means necessary."

Will nodded and looked at me for a moment. Seeing me so weak, knowing my fate, it was breaking his corrupted heart. He had no choice but to do as he was told. More things were at stake than just people's lives. This ritual would end everything, and he couldn't let it commence. The Master thinks his hold of Will's mind is strong. This is an advantage to a point. If the Marine, John, has been injected with the C24 and not turned, then he could play a crucial part in this thwart of Satan's plans. He will have to win the soldier over.

He turned and exited the room, taking in deep inhales of air through his nose to catch a specific scent. Finding it, he followed the trail.

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The halls were completely empty of life. This irked Reaper, there were no monsters coming out of the shadows or charging around corners. Something was wrong, and to his annoyance, there was no way to tell what. He had been walking these halls for ten minutes now, and no sign of Kyra. It was like everything disappeared while he was unconscious.

All of a sudden, he heard something. He paused in his steps for a moment to listen, and sure enough there was something coming up behind him. Acting on impulse he spun round and fired, bullet meeting the thick flesh of a large creature standing no less than ten feet away. How it had gotten that close without him noticing was a mystery, but it didn't matter.

Letting out a short roar of pain, the monster charged and covered a fair distance in less than two seconds. Too little time for Reaper to act, and soon the gun was out of his hand and he was being held against the wall. He grabbed the demon's hand and tried to break free, but it was useless. The thing's face was inches from his now, and he knocked a punch across it. Looking back at Reaper, the monster looked unfazed and brought its head further back. Then, to Reaper's amazement, it spoke.

"That's no way to treat a brother-in-arms." It said in a deep, grimy voice. He suddenly realized who this was and stopped struggling.

"I need your help, John."

"Go to Hell Sarge! There's no fucking way I'd help you!" Reaper spat furiously. A deep rumble came from its chest, it was laughing.

"I'm not your pathetic CO, you idiot. I'm Kyra's brother. Now listen. She's in trouble, and I need your help."

Reaper was speechless. It seemed Will had complete control of his mind now. How was that possible? Wouldn't he change back or something?

"What trouble is she in?"

"There's a ritual being prepared, and she's the sacrifice. Will you help me or not?"

"I'd do anything for her. Could you put me down now?" Will set him on the floor and took a step back. They both looked at each other eye to eye.

"Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. Anything to save her." Reaper spoke seriously.

"Good." Was his reply. "Then we'll get along just fine."

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The man stepped inside the ring again and kneeled down next to my body. He turned my face toward him and gazed into my eyes for a while. Then he looked up at the black emptiness above, as if inspecting that too.

"My name is Grivok, Satan's right-hand man. We've met before. In fact, you butchered my last host. Practically cut his head off! Oh well, I prefer this body anyway." The man said, looking back down at me.

"You don't know what's about to happen, do you my dear? In fact, you don't know much at all about what's happening here. You think you've got some of the missing pieces, but they're not to the right puzzle. Like your brother, for example." He paused and sneered. "That one question you've been asking yourself all this time: Why did he turn, and not me?" Then he leaned down, inches from my face. "A very good question." He whispered.

If I could hit him, growl, or glare at him, I would have. But I couldn't do much of anything at the moment accept blink. I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and strangle him. It was just too tempting, but impossible.

Suddenly he shot to his feet with a jovial smile and started to strut in a circle around me with his hands folded behind his back.

"Oh, yes! A very good question indeed!" He chanted. "Since you are about to die, I think I will answer that question, my dear. I'm already itching to tell you!"

I tried to follow his movement. He had evil radiating off of him in huge waves. Everything about him seemed wicked, and right now it frightened me.

"Now, let's go back to your childhood, shall we? Oh yes, happy days with Mom and Dad, prancing around in the park and playing games with your brother. The days before everything suddenly went down hill. Ploop!" He spoke dramatically, making a diving gesture with his hand. "Oh, you remember that day, don't you? When you came home to find poor old Daddy crying, and little brother in a heap on the ground? Yes, Mommy had an accident."

My eyes began to sting as tears came to them at the memory. He spotted them and quickly kneeled down with a grin. "She died, yes? Poor Mommy died, already frozen and freezing. Right in front of little Kyra's eyes. She sank into the black abyss, crossing the threshold of death, leaving little Kyra, little William, and poor Daddy all alone." My breath wavered as it left my mouth. He stood up again and resumed his former strutting walk.

"Yes, yes, yes. Mommy left, never to be seen again. And so, poor little Kyra and William succumbed to grief. Little Kyra stayed in her room, shut away from the world, thinking that if she was defiant enough… that Mommy would come home. Oh, but little William, he dealt with his grief in a different way." Stopping suddenly, he turned to face me and kneeled down again. "Oh yes, your brother had one thing on his mind all the time, Kyra. Revenge. Sweet revenge! That horrible man that drove his mother off the road, your little brother wanted him _dead_! He loved his mommy so much, too much, that he was willing to do anything. So young and so naïve at the time, little William made a choice. Guess what little William did?" He spoke in a whisper, inches from my face. "Little William… made a pact with Satan."

My eyes widened, and my heart stopped. It just wasn't possible. Will would never do that! There's just no way. He was so innocent, how could he even think of such a thing? I always knew he was extremely attached to Mom, he was a momma's boy. But… this?

"Little William was always a quiet boy. He never spoke his mind very much, did he? You didn't know him as well as you thought you did, Kyra. Inside his head, he had dark thoughts. Deep down he was ready to kill. His deal with Satan cost him his body, mind, and soul. In return he would be given the power to take revenge. And your brother took it. Yes, he killed that man. When you were off in boot camp, he murdered. Now young Will had to take care of his side of the bargain. But… he didn't want to. Once his revenge and hate were nurtured away, he realized that he made a terrible mistake. So, William tried to ignore the deal, but his blood was owned." He took a long pause and stood back up, starting to walk again.

"Satan had a plan. He started a sequence of events that eventually brought your brother to Olduvai. You know what happened from then on. But what happened here on Olduvai? What happened, those thousands and thousands of years ago on this planet that nearly wiped out the human race? Let's have a history lesson, shall we?" He chuckled, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"Mars wasn't always a dead planet. It used to be like Earth, flourishing with life. Human life. These humans were getting smarter and smarter, as yours. They accomplished world peace, average life expectancy was 100 years, and all the plants and animals were cared for so preciously. Scientists of that world felt the people were ready for another improvement that could permit immortality. For years and years they put research into the project, and the outcome was chromosome 24. Their first experiment with the serum on a human specimen had wonderful results. Extra smart, extra strong, and amazingly, unlimited healing capabilities. They were so exited, they injected it into themselves. A grave mistake that caused the civilization's downfall."

"What these scientists did not know, was that the mutation left the body weak, the mind open, and the soul exposed. It's like being reborn into another being. The body goes through a dramatic change, and anything can get in." He laughed. "Many of the scientists were corrupted, which Satan sent demons down to possess. They realized their mistake, and a hundred year war between demons and humans broke out. The slaughter was endless, and the humans couldn't win against the ever growing armies of Hell. So, they built the Ark, escaped to Earth, and shut down the machine so nothing could follow."

"The super-humans that followed eventually died of old age. Their offspring did not inherit the amazing qualities of their parents, and so the humans got off to a bad start. Forced to live primitive lives, knowing nothing about the planet. After a thousand years, Mars was dead. It was turned into a likeness of Hell itself, and the demons that lived on it died. Now, many many years later… humans arrive once again, and once again they have made that grave mistake. Now… Hell is on Earth, and this ritual, my dear, will truly open up a gateway from Hell so that this world will suffer the same fate. I do think it's time now."

He grabbed me by the neck and lifted my limp body into the air, and all I could do was stare. For a moment nothing happened, and then he started to mutter something. The flames around us began to grow and become more intense, creating such a draining atmosphere that my eyes rolled to the back of my head. His mutterings grew louder, and soon he let go of my throat to let me float in thin air. In the dark abyss above, a red light began to form, and as it grew I felt something being taken away from me. Something leaving my body from a place I never knew was there, yet I was familiar with it. It felt like the very life of me was being sucked out, and I realized that it was my soul. They needed my soul to open the gateway.

"Sergeant Mahonin. Will you do the honors?" Grivok's voice laughed, and I would have looked surprised at who he called if I could do anything. _Sarge? He can't still be alive!_

There was a deep chuckle in reply, and I heard heavy boot steps as someone approached. A rough, clawed hand wrapped around my neck, and hot breath touched my face. He let out another deep chuckle, and it sounded vaguely like Sarge's, only thicker and more rough. A single claw from his other hand ran down the side of my face before stopping at the bottom of my jaw, which he punctured lightly to draw blood. A stinging sensation remained where he cut me, and it didn't go away. The blood kept gliding down my neck. Why wasn't the wound healing? A deep rumble came from Sarge's chest as he tried to speak.

"I'm going to enjoy every second of this, Ice. You turned my squad against me, even my second in command, Reaper. But you had him wrapped around your little finger all this time, didn't you? Doesn't matter, he'll die too. Very soon."

"Get on with it!" Grivok hissed. "The sooner the better!"

"I want it to be sweet! I want her to suffer!" Was Sarge's reply.

"Then stop the chit-chat."

He growled and turned back to me, leaning in and whispering. "I'll start with the way that imp first butchered you. Back when you should have been _dead_."

He held me up and brought a clawed hand back, ready to strike me across the stomach so I could bleed out freely. I was almost able to voice a cry of fear, but it didn't get past my throat. Now I truly felt I was going to die, and all because I trusted someone who I should always be able to trust. _How could I have known? He's my brother. What about John? He'll have no idea where I disappeared to, and knowing him he'll probably be looking for me for hours if he has to. Why do these things seem to happen to me the most?_

Suddenly there was an explosion, and Sarge's attention turned toward the entrance. Bursting through a huge cloud of dust and debris was a larger demon, one he learned to be my brother. He was attacking the other demons, ripping the smaller ones apart before wrestling with the bigger ones. What did he think he was doing?

Distracted by the sudden conflict, his grip loosened on my throat and I found my self suddenly swept away with a jerk. A strong arm was wrapped around my waste and I was being lifted higher from the ground, swinging upward. My body came to a halt about twenty feet up in the air, and my back was rested against a wall. Now that I was out of that ring of fire, I could feel life slowly leaking back into me, and I looked up to see whose arm had been wrapped around me. I was met with the handsome face of my John, and couldn't help but crack a smile and lean into his embrace to bury my face in his shoulder. He was alive. John was alive, and the C24 had worked.

We were standing on a ledge, and he gently set me down to sit against the wall. He pulled himself away and looked me in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, caressing my face. I nodded and felt like I could cry, but somehow the tears didn't come. He leaned in gave me feverish, passionate kiss that almost put me in a daze on impact. It lasted too short of a time and he pulled away, leaving me very unsatisfied.

"You stay here. I have to help your brother." He said, turning around and gripping something. It was then that I realized he was strapped to a rope dangling from the corner of the ceiling. Looking down, I saw the ring in the center of the room. He must have swung down from the balcony on the other side and caught me. Talk about my knight in shining armor. That must have taken some planning.

"John." I spoke weakly, grasping his arm. He looked back at me, and I forgot what I wanted to say.

"I'll be fine." He said, taking my hand and kissing it before jumping off the ledge. I watched him fall, and before long he had swung back to the center of the room and caught a furious Sarge off guard, knocking the half-mutated man to the floor. Reaper suddenly dropped, having cut the rope in mid air and fallen outside the ring. Sarge rose and turned to him, and they stared at each other in a face off.

I quickly looked for Grivok, and found him marching furiously toward the conflict at the entrance. Then it finally sunk in that Reaper mentioned my brother. It was my brother who set off the explosion and who was fighting for his life against every demon here. It wasn't hard to find him amongst the other monsters, for he kept throwing them around like they were nothing. I didn't know what to think then. If I should be angry at him, be happy that he came back for me, or not hope for him at all. He betrayed me, but he's my brother and he came back. What should I think?

I felt useless, sitting up there while the two men I cared about the most were down there fighting impossible odds. I was too weak to fight, but there must be something I could do?

My eyes were drawn back to Reaper and Sarge. They were having a full out sparring round, and I saw that Reaper's speed had increased considerably. I'd never seen him react so quickly to the slightest movement of Sarge, and I fell in love with him all over again when he fooled Sarge and knocked the large man to the ground. He looked good when he kicked ass. He fought like a man, a really strong, hunky man. _He's always looked good on the job._

Sarge suddenly grabbed Reaper's ankles and dragged his feet out from under him, making him fall back. He rolled out of the way as Sarge's fist came down and broke the floor. Then they both were on their feet and fighting all out.

"Get her down from there!" Some one shouted, and I looked down to see Grivok pointing at me. Two raptor like creatures quickly sprinted from the fight and toward the wall. They jumped up and dug their claws deep into the metal, swiftly climbing their way up. My heart started beating very quickly and I looked around to see what I could do. If I ran along the ledge they would just follow. I'm too weak to outrun them, so my best chance is to fight. I reached into my boot and took out a small knife, clumsily getting to my feet and looking down at the approaching demons.

When the first reached me and poked its head up, I kicked it hard in the face and it fell, quickly catching itself by digging its claws into the wall. The other was smarter and shifted to my other side, getting onto the ledge at a range I couldn't hit it at. It jumped at me and I held the knife up in defense, falling onto my back with its heavy body on top. I had driven the knife deep into its chest, and while it went stiff with shock, I pulled it out and threw it off the ledge. It died as it hit the ground.

I turned over and was about to look over the edge when the other one's head popped up in front of me with a squeal. Flinching I punched it in the face, but it came back and bit my arm. I gave a shout of pain and drove the knife into its head, causing it to scream. It lost grip on the wall and fell, dragging me with it. A tickling sensation arose in my belly as I fell, and soon my body hit the hard floor painfully. The raptor released my arm and tried to stand; but, unlike me, it had landed on its legs, which were now broken. I could feel my bones beginning to mend, and the teeth marks on my arm began to seal. At least I was healing again.

Rolling onto my belly and trying to sit up, I found the strength to stand. The raptor didn't cease trying to bite at me, even with its broken legs. I brought the knife down onto its head and kept stabbing it until it went limp. Then I slowly turned to study the action. Reaper and Sarge were still fighting, and somehow Sarge had gotten a long peace of metal spiraled around his arm. He punched Reaper in the face with it, causing him to fly back ten feet and hit the floor. I let out a gasp and was about to run and join the fight, but then I heard a desperate, pained roar from the other brawl. Looking, I saw my brother with an overwhelming amount of demons climbing all over him, biting in every place possible. He couldn't get them off without leaving himself open for an attack by the larger demon. The fight wasn't turning in our favor, and I was torn between helping my man, and helping my brother.


	17. Chapter 17

I made the wisest decision. Reaper could handle himself with Sarge, but Will was overwhelmed. I turned and ran in his direction with nothing but a knife in my hand as a weapon. Oh well, it would serve a purpose better than any gun would for what I was about ready to do.

There were a dozen demons in the path from me to my brother. No problem, nope, no problem at all. _Just cut through em'. Slice em' across the head and make a way to Will._ I started at a slow jog, calculating the movements of each target to find out which to attack first. Like a football player about to charge through the defensive line of the other team. Tackle, shake off, and run. Seemed simple enough.

Once close, I found my nearest target and ran, jumping onto its back and slicing its throat. Before it collapsed to the floor I slid down and used the same technique on the second demon. It worked efficiently, and none heard or saw me coming over the battle, so it was quick and easy too. Will was close now. I could see him reach behind his back and grab a small demon, stuffing the creature into a much larger one's mouth. It distracted the huge monster for a few seconds, long enough for Will to take care of the ones crawling on him.

Determined to avenge my brother, I charged in his direction, ducking and dodging anything in my path. A claw cut thin air at my face, and I ducked and rolled to stand right next to Will. He struggled with getting a creature off his back. It was dodging his flailing hands and leaving him open for attack.

I crouched and jumped onto the annoying monster's back, slicing its throat and falling with it to the floor. Will turned and was about to gouge me with those massive claws, but when he saw that it was me he stopped and stared. I tossed the creature off and stood, meeting one of his eyes. There was a short passing of understanding and forgiveness between us. I was forgiving him for betraying me, and for doing all the things I thought he was never capable of doing. For some reason, forgiving him for that was much easier than hating him for it. He made a big mistake, but he's my brother.

"I don't know how you were able to do this-" Someone said, and I turned to see Grivok. "But you are no longer eligible for this task, William. Gotten way too big for yer breeches! Satan wants you dead. Goodbye." He said shortly, then with a wave of his hand Will screamed and fell to his knees, and the demons skittered away and assembled behind their master.

Struck with fear, I ran to Will's side and dropped the knife, looking down on him as he wriggled in pain on the floor.

"I will be back, Kyra. It's too late to perform the ritual now, so we'll just have to wait on another date. Look forward to seeing you then, my dear!" He spoke in his eerily jovial voice. With a snap of his fingers he disappeared, leaving the demons clueless as to what they should do.

Will's screams were gradually becoming humanized, and I saw his body beginning to shrink and his skin turning back to a pale color. He was changing back! I dropped down and put my hand on his chest, which was already back to its original state, and his face was slowly turning into the one I knew. His eyes regained their pale blue color, his claws retracted, teeth dulled, and after a few more seconds he looked like my brother again. He was sprawled naked in front of me, stripped completely of hair in all places. Tears immediately came to my eyes and I grasped his face, leaning down to him. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving.

"Will. It's me, Kyra. Please wake up!" I squeezed through a swelling throat. He didn't move, nor take a breath. No, he couldn't be dead.

"Oh God. Don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Not after all this! God, _please_ Will, don't leave me!" I began to scream, desperately groping his face and taking him up in my arms. "Please. I love you little brother. You can't leave me all alone."

Nothing happened, and the demons were beginning to get restless. Some began taking hesitant steps toward me, wondering if they should strike and whether or not their master wanted them too. He said that he would meet me again, so he obviously doesn't want me dead.

"You're all I got left…" I trailed off, stroking his head and holding his face against my cheek.

A creature lost its head and charged at me, jumping onto my back and starting to bite at my neck. I gave a shout of pain as its fangs sank into the tender flesh of my throat and dropped Will, clutching at the thing's head to pull it away. It was holding too tightly, so I brought my other hand up and punched it as hard as I could. The teeth sank deeper into my skin before it yanked away at the impact, taking a small chunk of my neck with it. Grasping the wound and feeling the blood leak through my fingers, I quickly turned so the creature was in my sight. Complete and utter fury pulsed through my veins at that moment. They took my friends away from me, turned them into enemies, teased my past, made my CO a madman, tried to kill Reaper, and now they murdered my brother. Someone had to pay!

The wound quickly sealed itself and I fisted my hands, nostrils flaring as I pointed a death glare at the demon that bit me. Other demons were shuffling and growing even more restless, sensing a fight brewing. A fight to the death. Eyes fogged by a cloud of rage, muscles taught with anticipating adrenaline, I walked forward and the demon charged me again.

With a battle scream I grabbed its reaching claws and twisted its hands till they snapped. Then I pulled it towards my body with a yank and brought my boot up to hit its face. The head snapped back and broke, leaving the rest of the body limp. Not yet satisfied, I raised it and slammed it down on my knee, breaking the back like a twig, then threw it to the floor. I looked up and scanned the crowd of edgy demons, searching for the biggest one. It was easily seen, almost ten foot high and large in muscle.

Unable to put sense before action, I ran at the large creature. Instinct took hold of the demon and it readied itself for a fight, giving a roar to intimidate me. Unfazed, I gave it a full on body slam and knocked it back a few feet. It tripped over its own feet trying to gain balance and fell onto its back. I jumped onto it and approached its head, bringing a series of unrelenting punches on its face till it was almost crushed in and its blood covered my fists. Realizing that I was on a killing spree and not intending to let any of them out, they panicked and started running at me.

I killed them all so easily, blind to the pain that was inflicted upon me. Some heads were dismantled from the bodies after I snapped them off. Mangled limbs rested on the floor as I broke every bone in them. Bodies had their chests caved in from where I punched them continuously. There was a tentacle creature, the one that disabled me earlier and threw me into the ring of fire. I took the hand of another demon and used its claws to rake at the tentacle creature's jelly-like head, slicing its insides into pieces. When all were dead, I dropped to my knees, covered in their blood and heaving huge breaths to calm my satisfied temper. It felt good to kill. To be able to inflict such pain on such creatures without an ounce of pity or remorse. Revenge truly was sweet, but it wasn't fully satisfied. That man, Grivok, who called himself Satan's right-hand man… he would suffer everything.

After a few seconds of regaining my composure, I turned to Will's body and slowly walked to him. I knelt down and stared at his face. The face I saw mature from a chubby little baby, to a full-grown man. I hadn't seen him for almost six years, except for the pictures he sent me. He was so handsome. Short, dirty-blond hair that he always spiked and swerved to the side, and the fit, muscle packed body that I never thought he'd have. He was such a scrawny little stick in his teenage years, and I teased him relentlessly about it because I could beat him up. Back in those days when things were perfect. Before people died. I wish I had taken more advantage from them.

"Let's cover you up." I whispered, slipping out of my jumpsuit so that I was in nothing but gym shorts and wife-beater. It was too small for him, but it was able to cover his lower half. I took him up in my arms again and hugged him, kissing his head.

"I'm sorry, Will. I'm sorry I didn't think about you after Mom died. I was wallowing in my grief and being selfish at the time, not realizing that you would be going through the same torment. I'm sorry we never saw each other in those six years apart. I'm sorry I wasn't there when Dad died. And I'm sorry I couldn't save you from this." Tears streamed down my cheek and landed on his face. "I promised Mom I'd take care of you. I forgot that promise until today. Until this stupid Olduvai disaster happened. I'm sorry for that too. I'm sorry for everything, and I'm sorry you can't look me in the eye and forgive me. But I want you to know that I forgive you for absolutely everything. I wasn't there for you when you needed me, so it's my fault. I want you to know that."

I couldn't get any more words past my throat and took a deep breath. For a while I just sat there and held him, thinking about things. Then it struck me with a vengeance. Where… was Reaper?

My eyes suddenly cleared and I gave a short gasp, rotating my head and looking all around the room. How did I not notice? Both he and Sarge had disappeared. I should have realized when the room went so quiet. What if Reaper needs my help? Unlike the rest of these demons, Sarge is a trained fighter and could easily match Reaper's skill. The mutation wouldn't change that.

I panicked, not knowing what to do. It was already decided that Will would come with me to the surface. The elevator should be about five minutes away or less if I rush, and Sarge and Reaper couldn't have gone far from here.

I lifted Will's body effortlessly and fitted him over my shoulders, jogging toward the only exit and made my way to the elevator. The halls were empty, and I wondered if that was all of the demons in that room. Getting out of here shouldn't be much of a problem anymore now that most of the monsters are dead.

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The fight had taken them down halls, mostly because each was being thrown after the other like nothing. Eventually they were back in the Ark room, and Reaper suffered another blow to the face by Sarge's iron fist. He flew back another ten feet and hit a wall, sliding to the floor with a dazed look cast over his face. Sarge deeply chuckled and approached. Keeping an eye on the advancing feet, Reaper knocked Sarge's legs out from under him, causing his fall, and straddled him. He unleashed a fury of lethal punches on Sarge's face, hearing a crack on impact when his nose broke.

With a roar he retaliated, taking both of Reaper's fists in his own and throwing him off. He quickly recovered and stood, facing Reaper with his fiery eyes. The fight just kept going on. Neither seemed weakened by the blows given. It was an endless duel, and Reaper knew it. He'd have to outsmart Sarge, not outlast him.

"I gotta ask now, John. Why her?" Sarge chuckled. "I know you too well. You wouldn't let some girl get in the way of your career. You know it's against the rules to have an intimate relationship with a comrade."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Reaper answered.

"Why not? Let's say you get out of here alive. What are you gonna do-"

"Just shut up and fight me! I want you to pay for hurting her." He growled, advancing on Sarge.

"Oh, but let's continue! _If_ you get out of here alive, what's the plan? Run on home with your sister and that whore? Start over, make babies? Or maybe this'll all get to your brain and you'll start goin' crazy. But I think the likeliest one would be to run away and hide. UAC wouldn't let some nice specimens like you and Kyra off the hook, not after you've had that C24 pumped into your body. They'll hunt you down, John. Don't think it'll be happily ever after when this is over."

"It doesn't matter!"

"It will. Now, let's finish this."

He raised his fist to his face and unbent the iron bar from his hand, pointing it forward so it worked as a point attached to his forearm. Then he charged Reaper, aiming the point at his face. On instinct Reaper raised his hand to defend himself and the iron bar went straight through it. Sarge continued to push, inching it closer to his face every second. Reaper backed up against a computer console and had himself cornered, struggling to hold Sarge back with both hands.

"John!" He heard someone shout from the north hall. He turned his head and saw me.

"I can take care of this, Kyra! Just get to the elevator and wait for me!" He shouted back, still struggling to hold back Sarge.

"I can help you!" I said, advancing towards him.

"No!" He spoke fiercely, and I stopped in my tracks. "Please, just go! I can handle this!"

For a moment I stood there, contemplating on whether or not to do as he said. It sounded like he had a plan, and I should trust that he had a good one. He wanted to do this on his own. This wasn't just a fight to him. It was a personal battle against Sarge, and one they both felt.

Hesitantly I took a step back to leave, then made a difficult choice and turned to jog to the elevator. A loud roar escaped Sarge when I turned the corner, but I ignored it and kept going.

"_Ark activated._" The computer said, and I realized what he was doing.

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I sat outside the elevator door, fiddling with the detonator for the charges we set. Will was lying face up next to me. I had been here almost ten minutes already, and was starting to worry. _Where the hell is he? What if he took the fight through the Ark or something?_

Suddenly the sound of boot steps echoed from down the hall, and I stood up and stared down that way. A few seconds later he appeared around the corner, and I smiled, about ready to laugh. Sarge was dead, and it was over. We could finally leave this place.

He grinned when he saw me and I ran, jumping and wrapping my arms and legs around him with laughter. In response he put his arms around me in a warm embrace, letting out a chuckle before kissing my neck. I pulled back leaned down for a kiss, which he met aggressively, not giving me the slightest chance to pull away. Not that I was complaining. He was making up for the very brief one earlier.

After a long and satisfying kiss he put me down and pulled away, resting his forehead against mine and meeting my eyes.

"Come on. Let's get out of here and blow this place to Hell like we planned." He said, and I nodded in agreement, then turned very solemn when I looked at Will.

"Will's dead, John. He killed him. I thought I could save him but it was more serious than I thought. The man said he sold his soul to the Devil. There was nothing I could do at the time." I felt like I was about to cry again, but held it back. He kissed my head and slipped his arm around me. He didn't know what to say. What could he say to that to show how sorry he was? Only the simplest words came to mind.

"I'm sorry, Kyra. I really am." He whispered, and I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder. He walked me to the elevator and let go of me to pick up my brother. I punched in the code for the elevator and the doors opened. Reaper carried Will's body inside and I followed, pushing the codes again on the inside. The doors closed and almost instantly the lift began going up.

With a relieved sigh I put my back against the wall and looked up, watching the surface open up as a pool of light entered. The sun. The beautiful sun. I closed my eyes, for the light made them sting and caused them to fill with water. A tear fell from my eye and I wiped it away.

"Hey." Reaper said, and I looked at him. "We're almost home."

We smiled at each other till the lift came to a stop. A few seconds later the doors opened, and we stepped out into the open air. I breathed it in and collapsed onto the soft grass. It was early morning, and the sun had just risen. Reaper gently set Will down and laid down beside me, taking my hand in his. Then he felt the detonator between my fingers and raised my hand to look at it. Our eyes met, and I placed his thumb over the button, and then mine over his. Together we pressed down, and very faintly we felt the aftershock a hundred feet below us.

"It's over." I gasped, closing my eyes as a warm breeze swept over me. Then it hit me. It must have hit both of us too, because we looked at each other at the same time with the same curious expression. Where were the others?


	18. Chapter 18

Sam, Duke, Destroyer and the survivors had definitely been there. There were signs of activity all around the landing pad where grass had been kicked up or something was set down. There were leftover plastic packages that held medical tools and lines in the dirt where trolleys had run through. At least four to five emergency vehicles had been there and maybe a few helicopters. For miles it was just flat ground, but no signs of anything disappearing over the horizon. They must have left a while ago in a hurry. Destroyer and Duke would have at least stalled them to wait for us, but any medic there would have wanted them in a hospital as soon as possible. That just might mean they'll come back. 

Reaper knew something about this countryside from when he came to Earth many years ago. The nearest town was up to seventeen miles away, and I really didn't want to have to walk all that way. I was exhausted, hungry, and dehydrated. There was no way I could make that distance in one day, so we agreed to stay where we were and rest. Our best chances would be to follow the road into the next town. If anyone came back to look for us, they'd come along that road and pick us up there. For the moment we laid on the grass and rested, and very soon fell asleep.

When I woke up a few hours later the sun was high in the sky. It must have been late morning. The sound of shifting dirt reached my ears and I turned over to see what it was. Reaper was standing in a shallow hole, using a long, jagged piece of metal to dig up the dirt. I sat up with a curious expression on my face looked for Will's body. He was lying on the grass, fully dressed in a grey jumpsuit. It couldn't be mine, for he wouldn't have fit in it. Then I noticed that Reaper was in nothing but basketball shorts and a white wife-beater. He was digging my brother's grave.

I slowly stood, not wanting to upset any sore muscles I expected to feel. But I felt nothing and easily walked towards Reaper, who stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. Our eyes met for a moment with an expected question, and he didn't know how to explain what he was doing. He wasn't sure how I'd react to him digging my brother's grave.

"You don't have to do that." I said, stepping down into the hole. He was covered in sweat, glistening under to sunlight.

"He should be buried as soon as possible… and I wanted to help." He replied, looking over at Will and taking a pistol out of his leg holster. It was Kid's. "There's one shot left. We'll at least give him a little bit of a proper hero's funeral."

I weakly smiled and touched his arm, bringing his attention to me again. "Thank you. That's just enough." I said, kissing his shoulder. He holstered the gun again and touched my face, leaning in to plant a slow, soft kiss on my lips.

"There's some yellow dandelions around here. Why don't you go pick some and I'll finish this hole?" He spoke, stroking my cheek with his thumb. I nodded and stepped out, slowly wandering to the nearest patch of flowers and delicately breaking their stems near the root. Very sluggishly I picked a bouquet of dandelions and small white flowers, arranging them perfectly and tying them together with blades of grass to lie on Will's grave. Occasionally I would look towards the horizon where the road directed, waiting to see a cloud of dust arise as a vehicle approached. There was never anything to see.

Satisfied with the bouquet, I searched for two sticks. This was a long plane with no trees, but there were large, dry bushes with strong branches. I sat down and carefully broke them off, twisting them around each other to form a firm stick, and I did this twice. Then I took more pieces of grass and thin stems to tie the two sticks together, forming a cross. This would be the tombstone. Though it was small and probably wouldn't last for very long, it would do for this short ceremony.

Reaper was very nearly finished with the grave, so I walked towards Will and got down on my knees. For a few moments I stared down at his face in thought. I still couldn't believe he was dead. After all of that, he was still taken from me by a wave of the hand. How could someone have that kind of power?

I took the knife from my boot that I had used to help him against the demons. Then I took his hand and placed it there, wrapping his fingers around it and crossing the arm across his chest.

"Just in case you need it." I whispered. Tears came to my eyes as I opened his other hand and took an envelope out of my pocket, placing it between his fingers. I leaned down and whispered something else.

"I want you to keep the letter, so you won't forget me, ok?" With that I crossed the other arm over his chest.

"Kyra."

I looked up and met Reaper's eyes. He was standing out of the hole.

"It's ready."

I nodded and stood, reaching under Will's shoulders while Reaper grabbed his legs. On count we carefully lifted him and set him down in the shallow grave.

The ceremony was very short. I didn't say anything when I tossed a handful of dirt. There was nothing left for me to say. Reaper raised the pistol to the air and fired the last shot in honor of a lost comrade, and then I took the liberty of burying him. The tears never stopped coming with each shovel of earth I cast over his body. The small tombstone was placed at the head of the grave, and under it I placed the bouquet of flowers. Reaper held me in the moments of silence that followed while I rested my head on his shoulder to let my eyes dry. Already the wind was sweeping away particles of dust from his grave.

In the minutes that followed we discussed our plan of action. It seemed that the best thing to do was the follow the road until we came to civilization or someone picked us up. So, we headed off in that direction, already suffering under the hot sun. It would be a very long journey.

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It seemed like hours since we first started. We must have walked six miles at least, but there was no way to know. All there was to do was keep walking and hope at any moment to see civilization in the distance. It was very discouraging to keep looking up and only seeing more endless land to walk on.

Though Reaper and I both suffered exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration, I seemed to endure it the worst. My body had gone through more strain, and it was enough to suck all the energy out. Every step was the most difficult thing to take, dragging against the dust while my shoulders slumped with tiredness. I often lagged behind Reaper for a while until he stopped to let me catch up. It was the longest, most miserable walk I had every done in my life.

Eventually Reaper stopped and just plopped down in weariness. When I reached him a few minutes later I collapsed beside him and sprawled myself on the ground. It was so damn hot. If it wasn't for the mutations, we'd have sunburn on every exposed portion of our bodies.

He laid back beside me and I cast my arm over my eyes to block the scorching sun. Now I was just in a pissy mood, and wanted to express the source of my unhappiness on him.

"How the fuck is it that we fucking have to bust our fucking asses to blow that fucking place and we fucking get up here and there's no fucking helicopter to carry us off into the fucking sunset? A fucking donkey would be nice!"

Reaper turned over and draped an arm over my stomach while resting his face against mine. With a big sigh he answered.

"Because fucking UAC doesn't give a fuck about us."

Ready to submit to the protests of my tired body, I closed my eyes and relaxed, on the verge of falling asleep seconds later. In my ear I heard the leveled breathing of Reaper, for he too was surrendering to the drowsiness of lying in the hot sun. For the longest time we laid there, sleeping like rocks and paying no heed to the dust being blown in our faces, or the dead stems of grass scratching at our skin. Comfort didn't matter at this point, only sleep.

I woke hours later to the setting sun. The air was growing cold, and I was close to shivering as the cool breeze brought goose bumps to my skin. It would be a cold night, and if we didn't get up and start moving it would be a very miserable night. I listened to Reaper, still sleeping soundly against me. His arm was now tightly wrapped around my waste, holding me against his chest. Turning my head to face him, our noses touched and I studied the now peaceful, almost childish expression on his face. He looked so different when he slept, and I liked it. The serious, troubled appearance was gone. Reluctantly I touched his shoulder and shook him.

"John, wake up." I called, and his eyes slowly opened. He groaned and stretched his arms and legs, burying his face in my neck before relaxing again. I waited for him to move, but he appeared to be going back to sleep. So, I shook him again and he let out a low growl before lifting his head.

"What?" He asked groggily.

"It's almost night and it's getting cold. We need to start moving. I don't want to be walking out here in the dark for too long." I answered.

He looked at the darkening sky and nodded, taking his arm from around my waste and sitting up. After wiping the sleep from his eyes he stood and reached a hand down for me, which I took, and he pulled me to my feet.

"Think you can go the rest of the way?" He asked, standing inches away.

"I'm still really tired, but I think I can make it."

"Just let me know when you need to stop, ok? I'll carry you if I have to."

"I know."

We set off again. The sun was setting very quickly, and soon we were walking in complete darkness. Rain clouds rolled in and threatened to pour down on us with a crack of thunder. I held Reaper's hand so we wouldn't get separated in the dark. The clouds blocked the moon and the stars, and we walked slowly so as not to lose the path. If we strayed onto grass then we were off track.

After an hour the rain finally came, and it poured by the bucket load. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, for it rinsed all the blood, dirt, and sweat off our bodies, but it did leave us miserably cold. Now I wished I had kept the damn jumpsuit, but left it earlier today because I thought I wouldn't need it in the heat.

In five hours it felt like we had covered nothing, and I was started to get unreasonably tired again. Those few hours of sleep earlier had given me enough energy to go on a little longer, but now that small fill-up was running low. I hung on Reaper's arm quite often to keep from collapsing, and he noticed. He put an arm around my waste to keep me up and I rested my head on his shoulder. For another hour I went like this, until I felt I couldn't stay awake any longer. I closed my eyes and began to drift off.

"Hey, Kyra, look! I see some light up in the distance there. That must be the town. We're almost there." Reaper said excitedly, but I didn't answer. Feeling extra weight on his arm, he looked down and realized I had fallen asleep. Not wanting to stop now that the destination was so near, he picked me up and carried me the rest of the way.

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He quickly unlocked the door and kicked it open, stepping in and kicking it closed behind him. I was shaken awake by the sudden noise and opened my eyes to glare up at him. He noticed and smiled down at me.

"Sorry, just can't wait to put your fat ass down." He said, earning an even more intense glare.

He had checked into the small hotel in the town. I looked around and realized this, seeing a single double-bed near the window, a couch, and a TV. It looked like the basic three-star hotel.

"I'll let you off on that one for now. I'm too tired to bother with the usual threat." Was my response. He only chuckled and set me down on the couch. Instantly I let out a pleasured groan at how soft it was. It was heavenly! I wanted to fall asleep right then and there and closed my eyes.

"The bathroom's through that door there if you want to take a quick shower. I'm going to get us some food and clean clothes. Be finished when I get back, ok?" He said, leaning down inches from my face. I opened an eye and looked up at him.

"Yes mother."

He gave me a slow, lingering kiss on the lips that shocked me on impact. I reacted instantly and buried my hands in his hair, bringing his face closer before he broke away. Another unsatisfying kiss! Was he purposely doing this to me?

"I'll be back soon." He said, and then he was off and out the door.

"If he kisses me like that and walks off again, I swear I'm gonna shoot him." I said to myself. I realized then that the lights were off and managed to stand up and turn them on. There was an open door across from the bed, the only bed, I noticed. The open door must have been the bathroom, so I walked in there and turned the light on. It was nice. Shampoo, conditioner, and soap rested on the toilet, and the shower was small with embroidery on its windows to block the curious eyes of onlookers. That would be nice for a change. Though I do trust John, he is still a common male and wouldn't help taking a peak if he could. There were cotton towels hanging beside the shower.

I closed the bathroom door and started to strip. When I took my damp boots off there was sudden liberation in my feet. I hadn't noticed how hot they were in those boots and flexed my toes with a gasp of relief. After a few seconds of that, I stripped off everything else and turned on the shower, letting it run for a few minutes while I looked in the mirror. My hair was heavy from the rain, and my clothes soaked through. No wonder he was probably quick to pull away. He needed to restrain himself, I supposed, seeing me like this. My braw was absolutely useless, torn and held together by its last thread.

Taking the bathroom products off the toilet, I stepped into the cubicle and had the best shower of my life. The warm water felt good against my skin and I watched any lingering blood and grime rinse off and sink into the drain. It felt so nice I wanted to fall asleep right there. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah." I answered.

"I've got some clothes for you. The hotel staff had some spares. They'll send some food up in about ten minutes." John said.

"Just set them by the door."

I quickly washed up and dried off, finding the clothes and slipping them on. It was the standard uniform of the staff: black pants with a long-sleeved, white dress shirt that buttoned up. They were comfortable, and it felt nice to be clean. I then opened the door and walked out, finding John sitting on a couch in front of the TV. He glanced at me from the screen and stood up, walking toward me.

"Hope you saved some hot water for me." He smiled, leaning in for another kiss. I ducked out of his way and sat down on the couch.

"Uh-uh, not until you've cleaned up." I teased, receiving an annoyed look. Serves him right for that kiss earlier.

With a cocky grin he decided not to push the matter and turned to the bathroom. I sunk down into the couch and rested my head back, listening to the TV. It was on the news channel, and I heard a report that desired my attention.

"… _some of the survivors of this disastrous incident are too shell-shocked to speak of their experience, but a selective few have been able to give us an insight on what exactly happened on Olduvai."_

My head shot up and I looked at the screen, seeing the camera change to a hospital room where a reporter was standing in front of woman with a bloody bandage on her forehead. I recognized her as one of the survivors we rescued. The mother of that brave little girl.

"_We didn't really know what was going on when the military first got involved. They came in armed to the teeth, looking like they were about to deal with something serious. An hour or so later, they came charging through our community hall with an injured woman. She was bleeding all over and looked like an animal had gotten a hold of her. They took her to the med bay, and I think that's the last I saw of her. She must have died, because I don't think she could have survived something like that. They evacuated us through the Ark, and that's when I began getting really concerned. I had a daughter to think about."_

The reporter then interrupted with a question.

"_Did you ever see this creature?"_

"_Yes! It was hideous, monstrous, and I had never seen anything like it. A few hours after we were evacuated, it came through the Ark, killing everyone in its path. Me and the others standing around you managed to escape…"_

She began a long, detailed description of everything that happened. At the point where they left Reaper and me, she expressed her opinion of thinking we were dead, and seemed very aggrieved at the thought. When her story ended, the reporter said they had just been allowed into one of the soldier's rooms to speak. I leaned forward and waited intently. He entered one of the hospital rooms and I let out a short gasp of relief to see Duke. He was alive and being taken care of. His arm and head were bandaged from the hard hits he had taken before.

"_What's your name?" _The reporter asked, holding the mike up to Duke's lips.

"_Danton. Friends call me Duke."_ He answered in a scratchy voice.

"_You were one of the brave Marines who survived this horrible encounter. Would you mind giving us an insight on what happened when you first entered the research facility on Mars?"_

"_Hell. That's the only way to describe it. Pure Hell. Demons, Devils, and all that evil. That's what happened on Olduvai."_

"_You're serious? Are you saying you encountered demons on Mars?"_

"_I ain't no fool! You think I'm crazy? Ask any one of these people and they'll say the same thing."_

He suddenly leaned towards the camera, looking very serious.

"_Two of my best friends are still out there! Why don't you people (beep) do something about it! They risked their lives to save us! The least you could do is send a (beep) search party out there and find them! Just (beep)-"_

The scene disappeared, going back to the news station where the reporter continued to explain the situation. Apparently UAC had tried to cover it up, but did so too late. The survivors were already blabbing about what happened, and UAC was in serious trouble. Sam must have given the police details on the experiments taking place on Olduvai.

Reaper came out of the shower and I waved him over. He sat down and watched the screen. They were doing a recap on everything, giving updates frequently.

"They're ok. They made it out just fine." I said to him in relief.

"Did you see Sam?" He asked anxiously.

"No, but I'm sure she's alright."

"Duke still thinks we're alive." He said as they replayed Duke's interview. "They might just come looking for us soon."

"Yeah." I responded distantly.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Reaper stood to answer it. He came back with a tray of food, and I sat up eagerly at the sight. The food was set down on the coffee table in front of me, and he took a seat.

There were two hamburgers and a large bowl of fries. A liter of water rested next to two glasses. We consumed it all quickly, having not eaten in more than a day. The TV was turned off, for they only repeated the same things over and over again. Sleepiness possessed me again and I wandered over to the bed, collapsing onto it and slipping under the covers. It may not be five-star, but it's the best bed in the world right now.

Reaper cleaned up and set the tray outside the door for the maid to get in the morning. Then he approached the bed, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. I watched as he shrugged the shirt off and tossed it to the floor, revealing his toned, muscular upper body. He crawled onto the bed and hovered over me. I reached up and touched his bare chest, letting my other hand slid up to the back of his neck. He leaned down took me in that same heated, feverish kiss that knocked my senses into whack before.

A few seconds later he pulled away, and I saw a warmth in his eyes that I'd never noticed before when he looked at me. I saw feeling, desire, and emotion with a power that nearly stole my breath away. He shifted, gently situating himself between my legs and stared at me.

A look of doubt flitted across his face briefly when he looked at me, but I pulled his mouth to mine before he could say a word. He couldn't hold back his flaming desire any longer. So he let go and lost himself in the kiss. My mind spun more than before, taking such pleasure in his taste, his feel, and his scent. He wrapped his arms around me, crushing me against his hard chest.

In return I wrapped my arms around him, stroking nimble fingers down the hardened muscles of his back as he attacked my mouth, relishing every curve I found and every twitch the contact brought. He broke the kiss, heaving for breath, and looked down at me. Again, that look of doubt crossed his face, and I realized why. Behind those unsure eyes was lust and intense desire. I could almost feel it emanating off his body. It was obvious what he wanted, and I wanted it too.

I slowly began unbuttoning my shirt, and his eyes watched intently. Already his breath quickened, anticipating. I pulled the shirt apart and tried to get it off, and he leaned up to give me room to do so, staring at my breasts. He stroked his fingertips from my navel up to the valley between them, caressing around them lightly before finally laying his hands fully on my skin. I gasped a little at the contact, my back arching ever so slightly.

He leaned back down and nudged my head to the side to allow him access to my neck, breathing me in deeply while I shuddered against his touch. He gently nipped my neck a few times, drawing short pleasured gasps. Each time, he lightly brushed his tongue along the reddening spot, pulling his mouth down my neck and still toying with my breasts. He was forcing himself to go slow, but not too slow. This was the first time we'd done anything like this, and he didn't want to scare me.

He traced the path of marks with his lips, feeling my pulse racing beneath his tongue until he reached my collarbone. He nipped again at the skin of my shoulder, making me gasp just a little. It felt amazing to have him touching me like this, and my gasp turned into a moan as his mouth made its way down to my breasts, kissing and lapping at each pert nipple in turn.

"John." I groaned, my fingertips roaming over his shoulders and chest, tracing each muscle and tendon. I clutched at the back of his head and hissed as he nipped one nipple with his teeth. His hand moved to the button of my pants and undid them, tugging them down my hips. I blushed a little and flexed my hips so he could slide them off. I was almost bright red, having never exposed so much of my body to a man before, but the look he had on his face told me I had no reason to be self-conscious. He wondered if I was really ready for this.

"Kyra, are you sure you want this to continue?" He asked in a husky whisper. I nodded. Already I was hot and roused, and probably very wet too. I was ready for him, and hungering for more of his touch. He didn't need to stop.

Satisfied with the confident look in my eyes, he removed my panties and traced his fingers down the outsides of my bare thighs, then up the insides, a thrill moving through me as I began to tremble underneath his touch. He pushed my thighs apart a little and moved closer to my core, already feeling the dampness that was there. My eyes fluttered closed as I felt him nearing the desired spot, and I sucked in a sharp breath and tensed as he brushed my sex once, again, and then gasped as he pushed one finger inside of me. He worked me a little, teasing my clit gently with his thumb, but not enough to make me come. He wanted me to get used to the feeling of him inside me, to prepare me for what would come. So, carefully he slipped another finger in, moving around and gently stroking me from the inside to have me writhing against him. My need was growing, almost doubling with ever stroke, and it showed as I started to buck slightly against his hand.

"Oh god, John… I need you." Losing all self control, I reached down and rubbed at the bulge in his pants, eyes widening a little at the feel of it. He was hard, and aching. I could tell by his labored breaths that he was near breaking point, and me touching him like that wasn't helping. He brushed my hand out of the way and undid the clasp, pushing them down past his hips and off onto the floor, allowing me an eyeful. I almost didn't want to look down, but did anyway. A flicker of panic rose in my eyes when I saw the size of him, wondering how this would work. This wouldn't be any less painful than the first time, but I found that I wasn't as afraid. No, John was different, he loved me, and he wouldn't hurt me like that man did. He would never hurt me on purpose, and would make this as painless as possible. I looked back up at him, and he watched a determination flicker suddenly in my eyes.

"Are you sure you want this? There's no going back." He asked, and I hardly recognized his voice. It was richer, thickened with want. It seemed to have an affect on me as well as my skin turned to gooseflesh from the sound of it.

"I trust you, John, and I want to do this."

I suddenly saw something in him shift. Though his eyes darkened with lust, I saw a tenderness there that raised my confidence in this moment as well. Like there was nothing in the world that would make him hurt me in that moment, or any other moment for that matter.

He positioned himself at the very edge of my entrance and I tensed. He looked down into my eyes and I nodded. Steadily, painfully slow, he entered me, watching my eyes for the pain he knew I'd feel, and I did.

A burning pressure rose that almost made me cry, reminding me of just how painful it could be, and forcing my hands to grip the sheets. I wanted to yell for him to stop, but I wouldn't. He moved so slowly, pushing further into me until he was all the way inside, and then he was still. I struggled to relax, breathing in short breaths to try and adjust to the pain. He touched my face, leaning over me and whispering softly in my ear. His lust was so great he wanted to ravage me, make me scream his name, but he wouldn't. With every moment he looked into my eyes he knew he would never hurt me._ She deserves pleasure, not pain._

He bent down and kissed my face, neck, and shoulders, soothing me with his warm, feathery touches. Though breathing was still quick, it was becoming less and less labored as the moments went by. The pain was diminishing to a heated throb, and my fists slowly unclenched from the sheets. Finally, when my eyes met his and he didn't see the pain anymore, he moved.

The pain came back, but only for a split second before the pleasure began to flood through me, masking it over. There was a new kind of pressure as he moved out slowly and then back in. It was sweet and warm, a tingle that spread through every inch of me with each slow stroke, and he maintained that pace, all the time keeping his eyes locked with mine. I knew he was struggling with the pace, but I didn't know if I could tolerate anything faster. That pain was still there, and he could see it. It gave him the determination to keep doing it slow, and I felt my heart flutter slightly when I realized he was trying so hard to hold back. It showed in his every movement, how taut his muscles were beneath my fingers and how labored his breathing was.

I brought my hand to his face and lovingly caressed it before bringing him down for a slow, tender kiss. He ran his fingers through my hair and quickly trapped my lips in his, returning my loving touch with a sweet one of his own. Gently he took my bottom lip in his mouth and nibbled, sucking on it tenderly before slipping his tongue into my mouth.

He was beginning to move a little faster, a little harder. I could feel his control slipping with each stroke, and in turn I could feel a new wave of pleasure washing over me. Soon I was moaning into his mouth, and it spurred him on.

He upped the pace again, grunting as he came closer and closer, and breaking the kiss to take in much needed breaths to keep going. My panting became short moans and a thin sheet of sweat began to glisten over me, and I could feel his skin dampen. The pain wasn't there anymore as I grew hotter, coming closer to my climax. Each of his thrusts was harder than the last, but he still kept as steady a pace as possible. No matter how close he was, he still couldn't bear hurting me. My hips began to buck with his, meeting each pump with one of my own. My muscles were tensing around him, for I was so close now.

He gripped my hips and pumped harder, feeling his climax nearing faster now as I clenched around him. I felt him hit something deep within me. He hit it again, and again, and each time I cried out a little louder. It was a sweet, warm spot that gave a violent tingle every time he hit it. If only he could go a little harder, a little deeper, and I could have that release I was aching for so painfully.

Suddenly an intense heat exploded through me, and I let out a scream as I came, going rigid beneath him as I arched off the bed, gripping the sheets. I tightened around him, making his own orgasm inevitable. He thrust harder than ever, before finally emptying himself into me. I felt his warmth spread inside me, until finally he collapsed, gasping for breath while he lay on top of my limp body. After a moment of catching his breath, he leaned up and looked down at me.

"I love you, Kyra." He breathed, burying his face in my neck and kissing it.

"I love you too." I replied, closing my eyes as exhaustion gripped me, and I felt like falling asleep like that. Our bodies entangled with him still deep inside me. Slowly he slid out of me. He slipped under the covers and I scooted into him, letting both his arms cradle me against his chest. I rested my hand on his shoulder, and our foreheads touched. Our lips constantly played with each other, grazing and moving around tantalizingly till he couldn't stand it any more and covered my mouth with his. I met him with another passionate kiss, touching his face and bringing it closer. He broke away and leaned forward to continue a trail of feathery kisses down my neck, and I closed my eyes to relax as he nurtured discomforts away with his touch. But something serious had only just occurred to me, nagging at my brain.

"John." I whispered, and he pulled back to meet my eyes. "What if they do come looking for us?"

He seemed confused by the question. "What if?"

"When they find us someone will find out about the mutations. UAC won't just forget us. They'll find a way to contain us and perform experiments."

"We'll just have to find a way to avoid them."

"I think we should run."

"What?" He wasn't sure exactly what I was letting on.

"Just disappear. Hide from UAC, the government, everyone. New names, new jobs-"

"You mean we go AWAL. Are you crazy? If we run from the military you know we're condemned to spend the rest of our service in prison if they find us. Everyone would be after us."

"Well then what the fuck are we supposed to do? If we stay in the Marine Corpse then UAC can track us through enrollment records. They'll find a way to make us disappear."

"I could never see Sam again, and they would interrogate her, Duke, and Destroyer on our whereabouts."

"Not if they believe we're dead. We should leave before someone comes looking-"

"No! I can't do that to Sam." He protested, sitting up and looking down at me. I raised myself also, feeling an argument coming on.

"Either way we have to sacrifice something!"

"We've sacrificed enough already!"

"John, will you listen to me!" I shouted, glaring at him. "If UAC gets a hold of us, they could remake the C24 serum and use it again, despite the consequences on Olduvai. If we had good results from it, they'll want to find out how to apply it to the rest of humanity. It would be Olduvai all over again, and we can't let that happen."

"That shouldn't even be our responsibility."

"But it is. We can't help it." I said calmly, feeling I was finally getting through to him. I didn't like us fighting. Not after what we just shared. He lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. I touched his bicep and leaned in, kissing his shoulder and resting my chin on it. He rested his head against mine, letting reality sink in, then turned his head to face me. I met him in a slow, calming kiss, resting one hand on his back, and the other on his chest. In response he wrapped an arm around me, deepening the kiss before breaking it.

"You know I love you." He said.

"Yeah, I know." I paused and looked him in the eye, sliding my hand from his chest to his face. "We'll get through this. At least we aren't alone. We have each other."

"I know."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. We should just sleep for now. It's been a long day."

He nodded and leaned back down, taking me with him. I laid my head on his chest, resting a hand on his stomach and he wrapped me tightly in his arms. Easily I fell asleep, warm and protected, unafraid of any demons that might haunt my dreams, for he would be there when I woke.

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It was mid-morning, and the sun showed brightly through the window. The light landed directly on his face and forced him to close his eyes even tighter. Already he was half-awake, not tired but too comfortable to get up. He was fully content lying naked with his woman wrapped firmly in his arms against his chest. When he squinted his eyes open, they protested to the bright light and stung, forcing tears. With a groan he raised his head and turned away from the window, letting his eyes adjust to a less harsh light.

He lightly stretched and looked down at my sleeping form, smiling slightly at my bare body. Last night's events came back to him, making him smile even more, and he leaned down to place a kiss on my shoulder before carefully getting out of the bed. He busied himself with trying to find his pants, not remembering where he'd thrown them off, and found them crumpled at the end of the bed. Picking them up, he shook them out and slipped them on, then walked toward the window. Gazing out, he searched the street outside. It was alive with the town inhabitants, moving with a purpose through the shops and to work. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for.

His attention was stolen away by movement and a moan from the bed. There he saw me stretching my arms above my head before collapsing them on the pillow. I opened my eyes and looked at him, smiling lazily, and he smiled back. Forgetting the world outside the window, he walked over and crawled onto the bed again, hovering over me. His mouth met mine in a sweet kiss, brushing the back of his fingers against my cheek lovingly. When we parted he sounded a low growl and attacked my neck, drawing a giggle from me as his beard tickled my skin. He began nibbling at the tender flesh, sucking it gently whilst I continued to laugh.

"Well good morning to you too." I said, grasping the back of his head. He leaned up and stared down at me.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Perfect. Absolutely amazing." I grinned, twisting his hair in my fingers, and I did. I felt amazing after last night, and closer to him than ever. What we shared was more intimate than anything we'd shared before, and I absolutely loved the feeling of being joined with someone like that. It was like we were one.

"Good." He took me in another kiss, but I hummed seriously in his mouth and pushed him away.

"What time is it?"

He looked to his left at the clock on the dresser, then looked back at me.

"Ten thirty."

My eyes widened. I'd slept almost a full five hours later than I usually did. Not only that, but it was late morning, and that meant the police could have been searching for a while now, if they were searching at all. We should probably figure out what to do next, and quick.

"Shit, where are my clothes?" I tried to roll out from under him and get out of the bed.

"No, no, no." He whined, pulling me back and kissing me again. "No rush. We got all the time in the world."

"No, we don't. We need to find out what we're gonna do next. People could be searching for us right now."

"Ten minutes won't matter." He leaned down and began kissing my neck again, slowing going down to my chest. I tried to ignore him, though it was extremely difficult.

"We can't take any chances."

He stopped and sighed, looking down at me in annoyance.

"There's really no point in me trying to get you roused when you're in this mood, is there?"

"Nope." I answered, playing with his hair again. He grumbled and sat up.

"Alright, I'm listening."

* * *

It wasn't long before we spotted police walking the streets, holding up photographs to the locals asking if they had seen us. We acted instantly and snuck out a back door to the hotel, hijacking a delivery van and escaping to the nearest city. It was there that we managed to make contact with Sam, Duke, and Destroyer over a phone call to their hospital. Reaper explained our plan, which was fairly simple. We were killing our identities and disappearing to stay away from UAC, and that once we had settled we'd try and make contact with them again. They understood and swore never to tell another living soul, and to pass on that we had died in the Ark base.

And so, we took what money we could from our bank deposits and vanished. Our names changed, where we came from, how we lived. Together we traveled across America, bus to bus, hotel to hotel until we made up our minds on where we wanted to stay for good. Eventually we stopped in southern Florida, settling in a small town and taking on completely different lives, simpler jobs that paid for a living. It was a small price to pay considering we could be running from authorities and UAC. Eventually we made contact with Sam, Duke, and Destroyer. Normal lives were all we sought to live, and for months that's how it went.

Almost a year later, that dream of living in peace was crushed. One day had started another sequence of events that would change our lives forever, for we weren't as hidden as we thought we were.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**I hope you have enjoyed this story, and if you have then please get started on the sequel: Of Demons and Angels. Give me your opinions if you want to be heard, and I always look forward to reading them. Thank you!**


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